


Soulmates

by Julesmonster



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Dom/sub, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, bottom!brian, sub!Brian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 00:12:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18457499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julesmonster/pseuds/Julesmonster
Summary: In a world where everyone has a soulmate, and everyone is either a Dom or sub, Brian Kinney refuses to acknowledge his soulmark. F*&% soulmates. F*&% predetermined roles. He will do whatever he wants and ignore the expectations that society places on him. What happens when Justin Taylor, Brian's Dom, arrives in town and wants to claim his sub?





	Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Some people are going to absolutely hate this story. Brian is out of character for much of the fic because the basic premise demands it. If you can't stand bottom!Brian or sub!Brian, this story isn’t for you. If you have a problem with Domination and submission, again, this story isn’t for you. If you hate stories that aren’t flattering to Michael, Melany or Lindsay, please skip this one. Thank you.
> 
> To everyone still reading: I actually love this story, and I hope you will as well.

Brian Kinney wore two cuffs. Most people only wore one but Brian was different. He didn't believe in soul mates or all the bullshit that went along with those traditions. He didn't believe that his life should be dictated by a random name that appeared on his wrist when he was just a kid. He didn't believe in love or giving himself over to his baser instincts.

What he did believe in was sex, uncomplicated, no strings attached sex. The maximum pleasure with the minimum bullshit. 

From early in his childhood, Brian knew that soul mates were nothing but a fairy tale told to the gullible to keep the masses from revolting. Fairy tales didn't mean a whole hell of a lot to a kid who was faced with an abusive father and an alcoholic mother. It didn't mean much of anything when he was huddled in his bed with a pillow over his head at night trying to block out the sounds of their arguments. It didn't mean much when he was trying to escape his drunken father's cruel fists or crueler words. 

And so at age 15, when the first telltale sign of the welts that would soon show the name of his soulmate appeared upon Brian's wrist, he had gone to the local Big Q and stolen two cheap cuffs to cover both wrists. He didn't want to know the name and he had no desire to let anyone pigeonhole him by advertising his role as Dom or sub. Not even Mikey, Brian's best friend in the world, knew for sure which wrist was marked.

Everyone made assumptions about his role based on Brian's attitude and the way he picked up and discarded tricks like yesterday's newspaper. That started about the same time Brian had shown up in matching cuffs and he didn't think he'd ever give it up. It was empowering, having men begging for the chance to be fucked by Brian Kinney, Doms and subs alike. To Brian, role didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to him was if the trick was hot and if he'd had him before. 

Mikey had gotten his mark a few months after Brian. It was no surprise when he showed up for school with a cheap brown leather cuff over his right wrist, the mark of a sub. Brian would have bet money if he'd had any that Mikey was a sub and would have won big. But the way Mikey looked at him with adoration in his eyes, as though he was absolutely positive that now Brian would fuck him, made Brian cringe. It was the only time he had been tempted to tell his friend the truth.

Eighteen years later, at the ripe old age of 33, Brian had all but forgotten about soul mates and cuffs. Yes, he still wore both cuffs, because it still wasn't anyone's business. But the name that resided on Brian's wrist was little more than an afterthought most of the time. He was a successful businessman. He was the hottest stud on Liberty Avenue. His father was dead and he almost never heard from his bitch of a mother. His life was just about as perfect as it could get. 

And if there were nights, when he was drunk and all alone in the privacy of his loft apartment, that he removed one of those cuffs and gently traced the scarred letters there, no one would ever know.

QaF

Justin Taylor had been older than most when his mark finally began to appear. He'd already passed his 18th birthday and was only two weeks from graduating high school. Looking back, he was actually rather glad it had taken so long. If his mark had appeared earlier, the chances would have been good that he might have blurted something out to his father and that would have been a disaster. 

As it was, it was hard to keep the fact that he was gay from his homophobic father. It was difficult to keep his silence when his father would spout shit about the changing laws that recognized same-sex soul mates as equal. To Justin, even if he hadn't been gay, it just made sense. Fate, or whatever you believed was behind the marks, obviously had no problem with same-sex pairings. It was only the religious zealots and bigots who still held out any argument. And while Craig Taylor wasn't religious, he was a bigot.

So Justin had kept his sexuality a secret. And he was grateful for the fact that it was taboo to reveal your mark to anyone other than your soul mate, even friends and parents. And when his mark appeared on his left wrist, he let his father make a big deal of it, even though he knew Craig would be disgusted if he knew that it was a man's name under his cuff instead of a woman's.

Justin stayed silent to his father until his trust fund was released to him. He was smart enough to know that his father's love was conditional. He knew that as soon as Craig knew the truth, that his precious son was a fag, that all love and support would disappear. And until Justin turned 21, that meant that his father still controlled the money. So Justin went to a university his father approved, instead of PIFA, his own first choice. He kept silent about his relationships, outright lying about his desire to keep things simple until he found his soul mate. 

The truth was, Justin had no problem exploring his dominance with unclaimed subs. He even had a few relationships that lasted several months apiece. He just had no desire to inform his father about those relationships, so he lied.

It wasn't unheard of for people to wait for their soul mate, though common wisdom said you should live your life and when the time was right you would find them. Craig Taylor had waited for his soul mate, or so he liked to tell Justin. But Jennifer had died young, leaving Justin alone with his father and leaving Craig to sow all his wild oats as a widower.

Justin cringed every time he considered what kind of sub would bare her neck for his father, so most of the time he tried not to think about it. 

The day Justin turned 21, he went with his father for lunch after the trust had been signed over. Craig was full of great advice about how Justin should manage the money now that it was in his care. Justin nodded throughout the lecture. It wasn't until his father had paid the bill that Justin brought up the one subject that he had been longing to tell his father for years.

"Dad, I'm glad that we had this lunch," Justin said. "It was a good way to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Craig asked with a frown.

Justin nodded. "You see, in about 30 seconds, you're going to storm out of this restaurant and never want to see me again."

"That's nonsense," Craig said. 

"I'm gay," Justin said calmly. "My soulmate is a man. And while I have been studying business at Columbia to make you happy, I've also been studying art and fucking as many men as I could. I'm a gay artist dad. And I'm going to use the money you just signed over to me to live my 'sick and perverted' life."

Craig's face went through numerous contortions and colors, changing color from white to red to almost purple, before he stood up. He paused, opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he turned and walked away. Justin simply smiled and took a sip of his wine, glad to finally be free.

That had been almost four years ago. Since then, Justin had graduated from Columbia, gone to Yale for two years for his MFA and MBA, and then gotten a PhD in Art History from Columbia. And now he was just about to start his first real job, teaching courses in painting and graphic design at PIFA, the school that he had wanted to attend so long ago but had passed over in favor of his father's first choice. He had developed a good reputation in the art world and sold quite a few paintings each year through galleries in New York and Los Angeles, as well as online. His life was exactly what he had always dreamed it would be, with one exception: he still had not found his soul mate.

QaF

"You really shouldn't put down the whole soul mate thing," Mikey told Brian one evening over drinks at Woody's. "You have no idea just how great it is to have found my Dom. I had just about given up hope, Brian, but then there he was!"

Mikey had already had a few too many and Brian was getting tired of his gushing about his perfect soulmate. Ben Bruckner and Mikey had found each other almost four years before, but Mikey still gushed about it when he'd had a few drinks too many.

"Someday your perfect sub will walk through the door," Mikey predicted. "And I know it's not the same for Doms as it is for us subs, but I can tell you that it will change your life, Brian."

"I can guarantee that my sub will never, ever walk through that door," Brian said with a faint smirk. Some people might pick up on a hint like that, but Mikey never had and likely never would.

"Of course he will," Mikey said consolingly, as though Brian needed comforting.

"How many times do I have to tell you," Brian said. "I will never claim a sub."

Mikey just blinked at him. "I think I'm drunk."

Brian had to laugh. "No? Really? Maybe you should call your perfect Dom to pick you up?"

Mikey blinked again and then shook his head. "I wasn't s'posed to get drunk."

"Well, looks like you've been a very naughty sub," Brian drawled. "In which case, I feel it's my duty to call your Dom and let him know just how naughty you've been, so he can punish you properly."

Twenty minutes later, Mikey had been picked up by the ever patient Zen Ben, and Brian was hunting up his trick du jour. The pickings were slim that evening, since it was a Wednesday, and he had just about decided that a trip to Babylon was in order, when Brian spotted a head of blond hair that was unfamiliar by the bar.

Brian caught the bartender just before the young blond could give his order. "Another JB for me and whatever this guy is having."

"The same," the blond said before turning to look at Brian. He gave him an appraising glance before speaking. "Thanks."

Brian nodded. "You must be new in town, because I know every fag on Liberty. At least I know their face."

"And likely their cock size," the guy said astutely with a faint air of amusement.

"That too," Brian said with a smirk. "Brian Kinney."

The man seemed to still. There was nothing given away in his face, but something about Brian's name gave him pause. A feeling of dread hit Brian just before the man spoke again.

"Justin Taylor."

QaF

Brian Kinney was nothing like Justin had been imagining him for the past seven years. He was not in any way overtly submissive. He wasn't even slightly submissive. And when Brian heard Justin's name, the only sign of recognition he gave was a slight intake of breath that could have easily been missed if Justin hadn't been paying such close attention.

"So, you've got a great ass, and I haven't catalogued your cock size yet," Brian said as though he was still hitting on a complete stranger and not his Dom, his soulmate. "Wanna head for the men's room and I can fuck you till you can't see straight?"

Justin paused for a moment to consider everything Brian had just said and then laughed. "I think not."

The air around them seemed suddenly filled with tension and Justin realized that the men around them were paying a lot closer attention to their conversation than was either polite or normal. 

"You think because you're a Dom that I can't fuck you like you've never been fucked?" Brian asked with a cocky smirk that was belied by the tension in his body, ignoring the whispers that were already starting because this guy had said no to the great Brian Kinney. The news would be all over the Avenue before ten minutes was up.

Justin, conscious of the men around them listening, leaned over and whispered in Brian's ear. "I think because you're my sub, that there's no way I'm letting you pull this shit with me. You want me? You'll beg like the good sub I know you're just aching to be."

Their drinks had arrived and Justin shot back the double of Beam and then flashed Brian a smile with enough wattage to light up all of Liberty Avenue. "Thanks for the drink. See you soon, Brian Kinney."

Brian stared after Justin Taylor and knew that he was fucked. For the first time in his life, every instinct he had was screaming for him to drop to his knees and beg his Dom to stay.

QaF

Brian was completely out of sorts at work the next morning and for the rest of the week. There was no fucking way he was going to let some little blond twink tell him what to do, Dom or no Dom, soulmate or no soulmate. He was Brian Fucking Kinney and he didn't kneel for anyone.

After Justin had left Woody's on Wednesday, Brian had shot back his drink, ordered another and then pulled his shit together. People were still whispering about his failed pick-up, so he grabbed the first decent ass, deliberately picking a Dom, and took him in the mens room. He fucked the man long and hard until he was begging to be allowed to come, loud enough that most of the bar could hear him. When it was over, Brian had put on his best smirk and walked out of Woody's just like it had been any other night.

That didn't mean that he didn't go home and break a few things. His rage had lasted long enough to see two empty beer bottles, four glasses, three plates, and an ugly old platter that actually belonged to Debbie smashed into the brick wall of his loft. Then he had drunk more bourbon straight from the bottle until he was too wasted to see straight.

Collapsed on the floor of the bedroom where he had missed his bed, Brian had then unclasped the cuff on his right wrist and stared at the name scarred there. Justin Taylor. Why the fuck couldn't he have just stayed away?

Thursday morning, Brian had resolved that nothing had to change. So what if his soul mate had shown up? It didn't mean he had to let it change anything. He was still Brian Fucking Kinney. He had fought through his sub hormones as a teen. He had pushed any submissive tendencies so deep into his subconscious that even his best friend assumed he was a Dom. He could certainly ignore this too. No matter how much his body and heart screamed at him to just give in, his brain was stronger. And his brain knew that soulmates were bullshit.

Work was tedious, and Brian knew he was in a worse mood than usual when even Cynthia attempted to avoid him. But Brian just shrugged it off. He was the boss and if he wanted to yell a little, it was his prerogative.

Brian would deny avoiding Liberty Avenue, but it wasn't until Saturday evening, that he allowed Mikey to talk him into heading to Babylon. Two nights without tricks wasn't unheard of, but it was unusual, so Brian went when Mikey called. 

Of course, the first thing he noticed when he arrived at Babylon was Justin Taylor on the dance floor. He was dancing with a buff sub, a man who was practically on his knees for Justin right on the dance floor. Some part of Brian wanted to head right out there and tear that sub away from his Dom by his hair, but pride forced him to the bar where he shot back three doubles in a row.

"Slow down Brian," Emmett cautioned. "There's a whole night ahead of us."

"Fuck you," Brian muttered before heading for the dance floor.

Brian hadn't intended to go anywhere near Justin, but somehow, as he danced, his body overruled his mind and he ended up within feet of the blond Dom. And then Brian did what he always did. Within the span of a song, he had stolen the attention of the buff sub. He didn't really want the man, but he didn't want Justin to have him either.

But when Brian went to lead the sub towards the back room, he was stopped by a firm hand with a steely grip on his arm. He looked down into blue eyes that were filled with both anger and pity. And then, he was being pulled into a fiercely possessive kiss that left his brain melted.

"I won't play this game with you Brian," Justin hissed in his ear before Brian had even registered that he had ended the kiss. "You don't want a Dom? Fine. But then you don't get a say in who I fuck."

While Brian was still trying to figure out what had just happened, Justin led the sub, now suitably awed by Justin's show of dominance over the legendary Brian Kinney, to the back room and Brian was left gaping on the dance floor.

Brian left the club and headed back to the loft without a word to anyone. When he got home, he added a couple more plates, an empty Beam bottle and an entire set of mugs to the growing pile of broken glass in the corner.

QaF

Brian walked into the diner Sunday morning and faced his friends who were all sitting at their usual table already. Mikey encouraged Zen Ben to make space for Brian to join them, but Brian just waved him off and headed for the counter.

He wasn't surprised when Mikey joined him a few minutes later. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing much," Brian lied.

"You know that there have been rumors running around Liberty Ave about you and some blond twink of a Dom," Mikey said. "I told Emmett that it was all bullshit, but he insists that he saw you lose a trick to the guy last night."

"His name is Justin," Brian said and immediately regretted it. 

Mikey's eyes widened. "It's true? This asshole stole a trick from you?"

"He didn't steal a trick from me," Brian sighed. "He stopped me from stealing one from him."

"And he turned you down at Woody's," Mikey said carefully.

"Maybe I'm losing my touch," Brian suggested casually. Inside he was screaming. His carefully constructed reputation was being shot to hell.

"You?" Mikey scoffed. "No way."

"Listen Mikey," Brian started but never got to finish his sentence because the blond Dom in question entered the diner just then and strolled up to the counter.

"Good morning Brian," Justin said with a smile that lit up the entire restaurant and warmed Brian's cold heart. "I missed saying goodbye to you last night. I was hoping we'd get a chance to talk."

"You were busy," Brian said in a measured tone. "And I was tired."

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you can't--" Mikey started but he was interrupted.

"Listen up," Justin said in a kind but unyielding voice. "I know you think you're looking out for your friend, but you don't have a clue what's going on here, so I suggest you keep out of it. Go back to your Dom and maybe he can explain a few things to you."

"You little shit!" Mikey said and got up to get in Justin's face. Brian just sighed and stared down at the coffee cup in front of him, not wanting to get involved. Even if Mikey wasn't in the wrong, there was no way he could make himself outright defy Justin by siding with his friend. It was all well and good to think he could ignore his sub nature, but there were limits, and this was one of them.

"Michael," Zen Ben's careful warning broke into the melee before things could get out of hand. 

"Ben, this guy said--"

"I heard what he said," Ben told his sub. "And he's right. It's not your business." 

Ben shot a glance at Brian, whose whole body seemed to be screaming in submission. He had never once thought that Brian might actually be hiding the fact that he was a sub. Their brief, long-ago encounter at the White Party certainly hadn't given him any clue and neither had several years of friendship through Michael. But it was written all over Brian as he avoided looking up at this new Dom. Brian might have hidden his sub status for nearly two decades, but this man seemed to bring it out and that could only mean one thing in Ben's mind.

"Michael, I think we should leave and allow Brian and his friend to deal with their own matters," Ben finally said to Michael. "And I think you and I need to review the boundaries of friendship and what is and isn't acceptable behavior when dealing with unknown Doms."

Mikey bit his lip for just a moment before ducking his head. He was in for another lecture. He hated disappointing Ben. "Yes, sir."

Ben shot Brian one last glance and the brunet finally looked up at him. Brian gave Ben a small but grateful nod and Ben just nodded in return.

"I think maybe we should leave as well," Emmett said to Ted. The two had been totally silent throughout the exchange but Emmett was almost as good at reading people as Ben and he saw some of the same signs that Ben did.

"Yeah, okay," Ted agreed with his Dom friend easily. Emmett might not be Ted's Dom, but it was easier to defer to him most of the time.

By the time the gang had all cleared out, Justin had a cup of coffee and a plate of the breakfast special sitting in front of him. "I hope they didn't all leave on my account," Justin joked.

Brian snorted in response. "You know, I've worn two cuffs for eighteen years. In that time, only two people have ever discovered my status. Now, in the span of five minutes, two more have worked it out."

Justin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It wasn't my intention to out you. I didn't even know you would be here this morning."

"It wasn't you, I just..." Brian sighed, but then the unfairness of everything hit him again. "Fuck! Why does this shit have to matter? I've been perfectly happy with my life. I don't need any of this shit fucking up what I've built."

"You say you've been happy," Justin said slowly. "Is that true? Or have you just been self-medicating with booze, drugs and sex to block out the fact that you aren't happy at all?"

Brian said nothing, so Justin went on. "Tell me you've never thought about what it would be like. Tell me you've never looked at your mark and wondered what it would feel like to have someone care enough about you to give you limits, to set boundaries, to take care of you, to stand up for you and love you. You obviously have had a pretty shitty example of soulmates for you to get this fucked up, but haven't you ever wondered why so many people seem so happy with their soulmates? Tell me you haven't and I'll leave you alone. I'll stay away from Liberty Avenue and get a job in another city next semester. You won't ever have to see me again."

Brian was still silent as Justin finished his eggs and toast before setting down some cash to cover his bill. He also tucked a business card under Brian's coffee cup. "Think about it and get back to me."

Brian didn't look up when Justin left, but once he heard the bell on the door, he lifted the card and put it into his wallet.

QaF

"Why were you and Dad so fucking miserable?" Brian asked his mother more than a week later. 

He had spent a lot of time thinking over everything Justin had said and more time watching his friends, some who had found their soulmates and some who had settled for less. Mikey and Zen Ben were sickeningly blissful. Debbie had found Carl late in life, but they were both thrilled to finally be together. Emmett was one of those rare people with two names on his wrist. His first soulmate, George, had been much older than Emmett and died after they had only been together a few months. Now Emmett was with his other soulmate, Drew Boyd, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Ironmen. Only Ted was without his soulmate, and that was because his soulmate was a crystal meth addict who had rightly disappeared rather than drag Ted down into his destructive life. Then there was Lindsay and Mel, who weren't soulmates but pretended to be, with their pseudo-perfect life in the suburbs and two kids--one of whom was also Brian's son. They faked happy pretty well most of the time, but fought and cheated on each other a hell of a lot more than Brian liked, considering his son lived in that house. But they weren't soul mates, and they just proved that non-soulmate relationships sucked.

Every example he could find showed love so deep that Brian couldn't deny it if he tried. They weren't perfect, they all sometimes struggled, but they loved each other and took care of each other. They were all strangely suited for each other, strengths and weaknesses matched in a way that was almost poetic. But then there were his parents and Brian realized that they just didn't fit the model he was finally recognizing. They were more like the munchers than Debbie and Carl.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Joan Kinney said primly. They were standing on the front step of Joan's house, the house that Brian had grown up in. A house he was no longer welcome to enter because he was gay.

"The fuck you don't," Brian muttered. "You and Dad hated each other. I get why you didn't want a divorce. The whole religion bullshit."

"Watch your tone," Joan snapped.

"Or what?" Brian laughed humorlessly. "You'll tell God on me?"

"Why are you even here?" Joan demanded.

"Because I want fucking answers!" Brian roared. "I lived in a war zone my entire childhood and I just want to know what you were fighting about. You tell me why and I'll go away and never darken your door again. Deal?"

"My soulmate died," Joan said through clenched teeth, like the words were being torn from her without her consent. "And I was grieving. I met your father and..."

"Got pregnant with Clair," Brian supplied as the pieces finally began to fall into place.

"Yes," Joan admitted stiffly. "My father... went to Jack's father and insisted that he marry me. He did."

"What about Dad's soulmate?" Brian wondered.

"She..." Joan shook her head. "He met her six months after your sister was born. He wanted to leave us. I... convinced her to go away. He stayed."

Brian was floored by this new knowledge. It explained so much about his parents and their marriage. At the same time, it made him question every belief he'd had about soulmates. 

"Why'd you let everyone believe that you were soulmates?" Brian wondered, though he was sure he already knew the answer to that one.

"I wasn't about to advertise the fact that I let some drunken lout get me pregnant," Joan hissed. "Now, if we're finished, I would like to get back to my prayers."

Brian scoffed. Her prayers usually involved copious quantities of alcohol. "What the fuck ever."

QaF

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Justin last ran into Brian at the Liberty Diner, and he was about to give up on the hope that his wayward sub would ever come to him. He stared at the student work in front of him and tried to find words to critique the painting, but his mind was stuck on Brian Kinney and his fucked up view of soulmates. If Brian didn't come around soon, he would be forced to go to him and that would not be good. It gave Brian too much power in their relationship. If Brian did decide to accept him, they would struggle because Brian was already too used to being in control all the time. But there was also the chance that Brian would see his capitulation as a sign of weakness and use it as an excuse to never submit. And Justin had promised that if Brian denied wanting a Dom, Justin would leave. 

Justin sighed and moved on to the next painting. These works were the first of four projects each of the 2nd year students would have to complete to pass the mandatory course on portraiture. He was surprised by how little creativity most of the students showed. They were all technically good. They all had a handle on the basic the techniques and style, but not one so far had shown any passion. Not one drew the viewer into the work and spoke to his heart. To some degree, Justin could sympathize. It was difficult to be passionate about a work that was assigned by your teacher. But he had given them a lot of leeway regarding their choice of subjects, and he had made it clear to all of them that, while he had to ensure that they knew the basics of the course to meet the university's requirements, he was just as interested in seeing what they could bring to the assignments.

Justin's specialty wasn't portraiture; his doctoral thesis was on pointillism in contemporary art, and in his own art, he tended to lean more towards impressionism and surrealism. But he was stuck teaching the class because all professors were asked to teach two of the basic courses that every student had to pass to graduate. For Justin, that meant that he taught 2nd years portraiture and 1st years art history, in addition to his more desired courses: a third year class on surrealism, a senior seminar on finding your personal artistic vision, and a graduate course on pointillism. In other words, he wanted to be teaching the portraiture course about as much as his students wanted to take it.

When Justin had been a sophomore, he had scoffed at the need to know anything other than what he actually wanted to learn. But, so many years later, he knew that having a broad base of knowledge was more important than any preference. When he had been a 2nd year art student, he had only wanted to paint modern abstracts filled with his anger and anguish. He never would have found his true talent if he hadn't been forced to learn more than what he wanted to learn. 

So, as Justin studied the works of his students, he could sympathize, but he wouldn't accept the mediocre offerings from them. If they wanted to graduate from a prestigious institution like PIFA, they would have to do a lot better.

Half an hour later, Justin's students began to file into the studio where he held all of his practical classes, which meant all but art history. There were only 15 students in the class. One of the reasons that PIFA was so sought after was the fact that they were stringent about how many students they accepted into the school each year, and provided the lowest teacher to student ratio of any arts university in the country. At 12 students, this was his largest studio class, and his art history class only had 21 students.

"Okay, people," Justin said, gaining their attention once everyone was settled at their work stations. "I've had a chance to look over your first projects and I'm giving them back to you. Without a grade. Without exception, every single one was flat and lifeless. There was no connection between the subject and the viewer, because there was no connection between the artist and the subject. I understand that classical portraiture is not your cup of tea, but if you want to pass this class, I want to see a little more effort.

"That being said," Justin continued after the moans from his students died down again. "I'm going to give you each another two weeks to complete this project. That means that the other three projects for the semester are going to have to be pushed back. Which means you won't get the Thanksgiving holidays free of a project, as I had hoped to give you. On the other hand, you have an opportunity to take what could have been a very poor grade and make it a good grade."

One hand rose and Sarah Markham asked, "Can you explain to us how exactly we can do what you're asking for? I mean, it was really hard to get excited about painting this the first time, let alone doing it again."

Justin chuckled. "Okay, let's talk a little about your choice of subjects. Sarah, who did you paint?"

"Um, my roommate," Sarah offered with a shrug. "She was there and busy working on her own project."

Justin nodded. "Do you mind if I show the class your work?" When Sarah consented, Justin motioned for the others to gather around her station, where her painting was on the easel. "You all can see that the techniques that Sarah used to capture her roommate were pretty good. And yet, the picture still feels flat. Sarah, do you like your roommate?"

Sarah shrugged again. "She's not bad. She's better than the girl I roomed with last year, but we aren't really friends or anything."

"So there is no personal connection to the subject," Justin said. "What was the project she was working on?"

"I don't know?" Sarah said with a frown. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Justin shooed everyone back to their stations. "Every great artist puts his or her emotions into every work they create. It's that emotion that draws a viewer into a work and touches them in some way. So if you aren't personally connected to the subject, then you have to find other levels of connection. You may be painting a portrait of a complete stranger, but maybe their eyes remind you of your long dead favorite grandma."

Justin turned on the overhead projector and went to his computer to pull up photos of several portraits. "Let's take a look at some works by Adam Daniels, a portraitist from the early 20th century. Can anyone tell me why these portraits of completely ordinary people from a small mining town in West Virginia are considered great art?"

Jack Mason spoke up, "It's the eyes. They all seem to be staring right at me and they make me feel... proud?"

"Very good!" Justin said. "Daniels was known for his portraits because every single one of them seem to make the viewer feel good. Daniels once admitted, late in his life, that every single portrait that he painted, he gave the subject his mother's eyes. Let's take a closer look."

"They're all the same," another student said. "The color changes, but the shape and details and tonality are the same."

"Daniels found a way to connect to every single subject he painted," Justin told them as he turned the lights back up in the room. "You have to do the same. It doesn't have to be the same technique as Daniels. Sarah, you could have found some bond with your subject if you had connected to her project in some way. When I have to paint a portrait, I usually try to talk to my subject both before and during the sitting. It helps me connect to them."

The class continued on a much brighter note from there, and Justin got lost in his subject, never noticing that there was an observer in the back of the room.

QaF

Brian waited for the students to file out of the room after class before coming out of the shadow of the storage closet and making himself known. "Nice class, Professor."

Justin didn't jump, but he was surprised by Brian's sudden appearance. "Brian? How long have you been here?"

"I came in while you were all gathered around that one girl's painting," Brian said. "I didn't want to interrupt."

Justin took a moment to process the fact that Brian's usual arrogance was missing before he nodded. "I appreciate that."

They both stood looking at each other in awkward silence for a full minute before Brian took a deep breath and finally blurted, "My parents weren't soulmates. I never knew that. They hid it. They also hated each other. My father... he was an abusive bastard. He resented my mother because she got pregnant and he resented me and my sister because we were how she tied him down. Her soulmate had died and dad hadn't found his yet. They got married because mom is a religious nut. When my father's soulmate showed up, mom sent her away.

"I just found all this shit out," Brian admitted. "I always knew that they both drank too much and hated each other, but they always maintained the facade of being soulmates."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," Justin said carefully.

Brian nodded and stared at his hands, folded carefully in front of him like he didn't know what to do with them. "I've spent a shit load of time thinking about them since I found out. And I spent a lot of time thinking about soulmates in general. And I thought about those questions you asked."

Justin held his breath. "And what did you conclude?"

"I don't know how to be a sub," Brian said as he finally looked Justin in the eyes. "I've spent my entire life fighting who and what I am. I don't know if I can change now."

"I haven't asked you to change," Justin said. "And I won't. I think you will change, though. I think if you let yourself stop fighting, you'll change because you'll find freedom in submission. It's who you are, who you were always meant to be."

Brian seemed to consider Justin's words for a moment before he sank to his knees, mindless of the paint stains on the cement floor or his expensive designer suit. Justin let out a silent sigh of relief at the sight. Brian looked up at his Dom for a brief moment before dropping his eyes and striking the most basic submissive pose: head bowed, hands on his thighs, ass touching his heels.

"Let me see your mark," Justin commanded softly.

Carefully, Brian removed first one then the other leather wristband. Then he offered up his marked wrist for Justin's inspection. Justin took his hand and gently traced the letters of his name marked forever on Brian's skin. He bent forward to kiss the mark, then he kissed the top of Brian's head.

Once he was standing up straight again, Justin untied the leather straps that held his own wristband in place. He held his wrist in front of Brian, and the other man did what every claimed sub before him had done, he kissed his name on his Dom's skin. That simple act of submission was enough to have Justin hard in his pants, but this wasn't about sex, so he ignored it.

"Say the words," Justin prompted Brian.

Brian hesitated for only a moment before offering the traditional words of bonding. "I offer myself to you, Sir, heart, soul, mind and body. I pledge to be your obedient submissive in every way, for all my life, if you will have me."

"You honor me with your submission," Justin said honestly. He had always wondered how he would feel when he finally said the words every Dom learned. He found he meant every syllable. "I accept your gift and vow in return, to cherish, honor, protect and love you until my dying day."

They were both frozen in place for a while, struck by the enormity of the moment. But eventually, Justin's brain kicked in and he reached down to help Brian to his feet. "That cement floor can't be good for your knees."

"I didn't even feel it," Brian confessed quietly.

Justin smiled. "Must be the adrenaline. Come here for a minute." He led Brian over to his desk and dug through his messenger bag. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled the jeweler's box from the bag and opened it. 

Brian held back his gasp at the sight of the most beautiful claiming cuff he had ever seen. It was about two inches wide and made up of silver platinum chainmail with bands of black titanium at the top bottom and middle. The front of the cuff had a plate of black titanium and a platinum inlay with a single square-cut diamond that had to be at least 3 carats. The cuff's hinge and clasp was hidden at the front plate. Justin slipped the beautiful cuff into place over Brian's mark and slid the small pin into place that would hold the cuff secure.

"Thank you," Brian said. A part of him had been resigned to the fact that he would likely have to wear some cheap silver cuff that you could buy at any department store for $50. After all, Justin was an artist. Even if he had a decent job teaching, and had obviously sold a few paintings, he probably couldn't afford much. But the younger man had surprised him. Not only did this cuff have to cost more than $5,000, it was tasteful and would look good with any fashion Brian chose to wear.

"You're welcome," Justin said. He pulled out the matching cuff and handed it to Brian. "Would you like to put the other cuff on me?"

Brian nodded and took the cuff. It was identical to his own in every way except for the gem. Justin's had a black onyx stone where Brian's had the diamond. Once it was in place, Brian stared at his Dom's left wrist for a long minute. "I can't believe you bought these. You didn't even know if I would come to you."

"I hoped," Justin admitted. Just then, there was noise in the hall outside the classroom that broke the spell between the two men. "Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private."

"My place or yours?" Brian asked with an irreverent smirk, reminding Justin that he was still the same Brian Kinney.

QaF

They ended up at Brian's loft. Justin would have preferred taking his new sub to his own territory, but he was currently residing in a furnished one room flat that left a lot to be desired. He had only meant to live there long enough to find something permanent, but between getting settled into a new job and worrying about whether his sub would reject him, he just hadn't gotten around to house hunting.

Since it was Friday when Brian showed up at PIFA, they had the whole weekend to get to know each other. That first night was spent mostly talking. Justin could tell that, while Brian was very experienced with sex, he wasn't all that comfortable taking the submissive role yet. Justin was determined to give him time to get used to the new way of things before he introduced sex into the equation. Instead, they took time to get to know each other and Justin subtly began redirecting Brian's bad habits into healthier submissive traits.

For example, when they had finished with dinner, Brian had automatically flopped lengthwise onto his sofa while continuing his story about how he had met his friend Mikey. Rather than scolding Brian, Justin had simply nudged the sub until he sat up enough so that Justin could sit, then he had settled with Brian's head in his lap. He had been able to stroke Brian's hair and caress his chest and arms in a way that kept the brunet calm and content, even while relating some pretty bad stuff about his childhood.

Justin learned that Brian had come from an abusive home and had to fend for himself much younger than any child should have to. He learned that Brian had met Michael when he was 14, his first real friend, and had quickly fallen into the role of protector for the smaller boy, so that when his soul mark appeared, Brian had automatically rejected the idea of being a submissive out of both need and circumstance. He learned that, later, pride had played a larger factor in keeping his designation a secret. Of course Brian hadn't said any of that directly. Justin suspected that Brian wasn't entirely aware of his own motivations. But Justin could read Brian Kinney better than anyone he had ever met before. He supposed that was because they were soulmates.

In turn, Justin gave Brian his own history. How his mother had died young. How his bigoted dictatorial father had tried to raise him to become his carbon copy. How any variation from what Craig Taylor considered ideal was met with caustic words and the occasional fist. So Justin had learned to hide who he was and to work around his father's demands, but still get his own way. He told Brian about his trust fund and how he had given his father the ultimate fuck you as soon as the money had been signed over to him.

"You're a devious shit, aren't you?" Brian asked in a tone that held both amusement and admiration.

"I can be when I need to," Justin admitted. "Mostly I prefer the direct approach to life."

Brian considered that. "Like with me?"

"Like with you," Justin agreed. He stroked Brian's hair and let his fingers trail along Brian's cheek and jaw. "I grew up in a house where I was forced to play games of deception and manipulation every day to survive. I refused to begin a relationship with the most important person in my life playing those same games. Brian, I will always be honest with you, and I will demand that same honesty in return. Sometimes that will be hard for both of us. But I don't think a healthy relationship can thrive without honesty."

Brian hummed and closed his eyes, allowing Justin's magical fingers to relax him. There was something so soothing about having Justin's hands running through his hair and caressing his face. Some part of him was scoffing that he wasn't a dog that needed petting. The majority of him was telling that small part to shut the fuck up because it felt really good to be petted.

"What happens now?" Brian asked after a long time.

"Now, we learn how to be Justin and Brian," Justin said. "Not what others think we are or should be individually, but what we were destined to be when fate ordained that we belong together."

Brian snorted. "My Dom is a romantic sap."

"I have to make up for the fact that my sub wouldn't know romance if it kicked him in the teeth," Justin teased. "But if you are intimating that you would like a more concrete answer to your earlier question, I can tell you that one of my first priorities will be to get us a house that can be ours. As nice as this loft is, it represents your past, a past that I think you need to leave behind if we're going to make this work."

"I will admit that most of Liberty Ave has seen the interior of this place at one time or other," Brian said as he glanced up at his Dom with something that might have been shame or regret if Brian Kinney would ever allow such worthless emotions to exist in his world.

Justin nodded. "I know. But it's not my feelings that worry me; I know you had a life before me and I can accept all the good and bad that comes with that fact. I'm more concerned about you. I don't want you to get tripped up by your past, so I think a new place, without those reminders, would be best."

Brian was silent for a moment, but he eventually said, "I did a campaign for one of the largest realty agencies in the region not long ago. I'm pretty sure that their CEO, James Callaghan, would make us a priority if I called."

"So call," Justin told him.

QaF

Saturday, they slept late. After Brian had called his contact, they had gotten an email within an hour with more than fifty listings and the promise to have his best estate agent available to them the rest of the weekend to tour homes. So the two had reviewed the homes and had narrowed the list down to twelve. That list they emailed to the agent, Caroline, who agreed to arrange everything and meet them at the first house at 10:00 Saturday morning. 

Since they didn't have to be anywhere early, Justin had insisted that they relax in bed, even though Brian woke early. Justin had allowed Brian to get up only long enough for a quick trip to the bathroom. While Brian was in there, Justin had made up a tray of coffee, juice and croissants. Once back in bed, Brian reluctantly let Justin feed him. Justin took a bite and then fed Brian a bite, sharing until the whole pastry, slathered with jam, was gone. The brunet was awkward with the arrangement at first, but by the second croissant he had relaxed into the hedonistic pleasure of being cared for so thoroughly. 

And when Brian had a small glob of raspberry jam on the corner of his mouth, Justin took the opportunity to lick it away. That had led to a rather leisurely make-out session, something that Brian hadn't experienced since he was a teen.

Despite their leisurely start to the day, Justin eventually declared that it was time for them to get ready to go. Rather than showering separately, Justin had insisted on bathing together. Brian's shower was certainly large enough for the activity. And once under the sinfully luxurious spray, Justin had taken the opportunity to wash his sub from head to toe with infinite care. Brian was obviously turned on by the act, but Justin had simply kissed him again and handed the wash cloth to Brian so that he could wash Justin.

The intimacy of the shared shower, despite Brian's disappointment that there had been no sex involved, had surprised the stud. What surprised him most was how much he enjoyed the experience. Having Justin's gentle hands laving his body with a tenderness that bordered on reverence had been amazing. And having the freedom to do the same for Justin, to touch and examine every part of Justin's gorgeous body, told him that though they had their roles, there was also a sense of equality. Brian's feelings and desires were just as important to the blond as his own. It gave him hope that being Justin's sub wouldn't be as awful as he had always secretly feared.

So it was with a light heart that the two men headed out to view the first property. Of course, the first property hadn't been nearly what they had hoped. It was good, and had potential to be great, but Justin didn't want to wait months while some contractor worked to get the place up to his standards. The second was a lost cause from the the moment they walked through the door. The same with the third and fourth places. By the time they had seen all eight of the homes that Caroline had arranged for that day, Justin was exhausted and starting to lose hope. Was it too much to ask for to find the perfect place in the perfect neighborhood? Probably.

The two went back to the loft and ordered in dinner. They ate on the sofa while an old movie played on the TV. Brian had his own food, but Justin would occasionally lean over and feed Brian a bite of his food and then wait for Brian to feed him in return. Brian, subconsciously, began to fall into a submissive headspace.

When the food was all gone and the movie had ended, Justin turned to Brian and asked, "Will you kneel for me?"

Despite the fact that it was phrased in the form of a question, Brian knew that he would never deny Justin. He dropped to his knees, kneeling right in front of his Dom.

"Thank you," Justin said with a soft smile. "You are a much better sub than you let yourself believe, Brian."

Brian dropped his head to hide the blush that stole up his cheeks unwillingly. Justin gently reached out and tilted his sub's face back up so that he could see his eyes. "Don't hide from me. There's no judgment here, and no reason to hide."

"Thank you, sir," Brian murmured and he offered a shy smile.

Justin marveled at the changes in the man before him. It hadn't been that long ago that Brian had propositioned him at Woody's, using arrogance to mask his true self. Now, here he knelt, already beginning to find his sub-space. Granted, their tenuous bond hadn't yet been tested by outside influences. They had left the loft, yes, but hadn't run into anyone that Brian knew. And for the time being, Justin wanted to keep it that way.

"Brian, I want you to think very hard and tell me if there is anything important that can't be handled by someone else coming up at work this week," Justin said. Justin was concerned about their time alone being interrupted by Brian's friends. Justin didn't know them personally, but he knew enough from Brian to believe that if they interfered too early in the process of bonding, Brian might backslide, allowing their expectations to influence his behavior and sense of self. In just one day, Brian's phone had rung almost 20 times. Justin had noted the caller ID each time, and wasn't surprised that most of the calls were from Michael Novotny, but there were also calls from Debbie Novotny and Lindsay Peterson. Brian had ignored each of the calls in deference to Justin's presence, but it was just a matter of time before one or all of them showed up on Brian's doorstep. Another reason Justin wished he had a better apartment where he could take Brian.

The thought of Kinnetik brought Brian back to himself slightly and he frowned. "I..." He hesitated because he knew without Justin telling him that Justin wanted him to say no.

"It's okay, Brian. I want you to be honest with me," Justin reminded him.

"There's a meeting on Thursday with a potential new client," Brian said. "I can't reschedule without a very good reason. And I'll need to do some research before we meet."

"Okay," Justin said with a nod. "In that case, I want you to tell your assistant to reschedule or delegate everything but that meeting. I will give you some leeway regarding what you will need to do for research, but we need to agree on it first."

Brian nodded and considered what he had already gathered and how much time he would need both at the office and away. "I could get what I need done with one morning in the office and since the meeting is Thursday afternoon, I could go in that morning to do it. I'll also need about four hours of time with my computer and access to the internet, but that can happen anywhere."

"Thank you," Justin said with a big grin. "I appreciate your honesty, Brian. I want you to call your assistant now and let her know that you won't be in until Thursday. You will be out of town and unavailable to anyone. If there's an emergency, she can call my cell phone and I will decide whether it requires your direct attention. You will not have access to your cell phone again until I say."

"Yes sir," Brian said. He was a little nervous about calling Cynthia, but he knew that she would understand; she was one of the only people who had ever actually seen the real him. She was a Dom and part of the reason they got on so well was that they both knew when to leave that part of them aside to get the job done and when one or the other needed a moment of indulging their true nature to get through a rough day. She had always instinctively known what Brian was—even though they had never discussed the topic—and could dominate him in such a way that no one else would ever recognize that was what she was doing. It was largely because of her that Brian had the courage to start up Kinnetik in the first place.

Five minutes later, Brian's faith in Cynthia was proved justified. "You take as much time as you need, Brian. Ted and I will keep things running smoothly here. You, more than anyone I know, deserve a little happiness. I'm glad your Dom finally found you."

"Surprisingly, so am I," Brian admitted. "I'll see you on Thursday."

When he hung up the phone he found that Justin was smiling at him. The blond Dom had obviously been listening to his conversation. Brian turned off the cell phone and handed it to Justin. "Very good, Brian. Now, let's go pack a bag. As soon as we're finished with Caroline tomorrow, we're getting out of Dodge for a few days. I don't want you to have to worry about dealing with anyone or anything but me until absolutely necessary."

Brian rolled his lips between his teeth and considered whether he was free to ask a question. Justin hadn't forbade it, and he had just been talking with Cynthia, so Brian figured he probably was. "Where exactly are we going, sir?"

"You'll see," Justin said with a secretive smile. "Just pack casual clothes. And for cold weather. Do you have hiking boots?"

Brian's eyes were wide as he warily shook his head. "No boots. Why do I need boots?"

"Don't worry about it," Justin said. "We'll stop at a shop on the way out of town."

QaF

Sunday was much more productive than Saturday had been. The very first place that Caroline showed them was everything that Justin had imagined. It was a massive mid-century modern split-level house built on one hundred and twelve acres of mostly forested land that overlooked the Allegheny River from the North Side and even had its own mile long walking trail, and a stone wall surrounding the property for privacy and security. 

Despite its rustic setting, the house was only about a twenty minute drive from Liberty Ave and Kinnetik, forty-five minutes in rush hour. The house used large walls of windows to bring the outdoors inside, lending the house a very naturalistic feeling, despite the heavy use of brick, glass and metal. There was also a lot of wood to balance the sterile feeling the more modern elements could have. There was a built in wood sculptural piece in the entryway, built in wood shelves in the library, light tongue-in-groove wood planks on the vaulted ceilings, built in shelving and cabinets in the family room, plus hardwood floors in the private rooms and terrazzo floors throughout the rest of the house, including the garage. 

The house looked like a normal ranch from the circular drive, but only the central portion of the main floor of the house was fully visible from that angle. There were two wings to the house, nestled behind the trees. The east wing held the four guest suites upstairs and the family room, library and exercise room downstairs. The west wing had the master suite, a nursery and an office upstairs, and the garage downstairs. The main floor, which alone had almost twice the square footage as the loft, had an open living plan with a chef’s kitchen, a breakfast nook, a huge living room, and a dining room large enough to host twenty people. 

All three sections of the house opened onto the trapezoidal courtyard behind the house. There, they found a pool, a pool house, and an amazing view of the river and downtown in the distance. The house was built on a bluff, so there was no concern for flooding. But they had access to the river via a staircase built into the fifteen foot cliff which led down to a boat house on the bank of the river.

The property had everything that Justin had been looking for in a house. But he didn't want it if Brian didn't love it just as much. "What do you think, Brian?"

Brian had been unusually quiet throughout the tour, but he looked at Justin and nodded. "It's perfect. You can use the pool house for a studio. I can have an office and a workout room here. The architecture is pretty spectacular. With the right decorator, this place will be a showpiece. Then again, I’m not sure what we’d do with the nursery, and the maintenance on one hundred and twelve acres will be costly. Just getting a plow service to clear the drive in winter will be a bitch. And its a lot of house for just two people."

"Well, Gus will stay with us sometimes, too," Justin pointed out.

Brian turned away to stare out at the river. "The girls don't let him stay with me, even for just an afternoon. They say I'm too irresponsible. But I would never let anything happen to my kid."

Justin bit back a growl at the women he had never met before. He already didn't like them. "We'll work something out. Even if he only comes for afternoon visits at first, he'd have the pool and tons of stuff to do here. We could even get a boat to take him out on."

Brian turned back to Justin and nodded. "If you don't think the upkeep is too much, then I would very much like to live here, Sir."

Justin grinned and pulled Brian into his arms. Then he reached up to pull Brian down into a searing kiss. "Let's go put in an offer."

QaF

"Holy shit!" Brian exclaimed as Justin drove the SUV up to a log cabin that was five times as big and a hundred times nicer than the house Brian had grown up in. "You said that you inherited a little money and a cabin in West Virginia from your grandmother. This isn't some hunting shack, like you implied."

"I may have understated the case a little," Justin admitted with a smile as he parked the car and looked out at the place he loved more than any other in the world. "There once was a hunting shack here, but my grandmother had that torn down before I was born and the lodge was built in its place. The property is actually surrounded by the state park. My family owned most of the land around here before they sold it to the state to build the park, with the agreement that my family would always keep these 440 acres and not develop them. If I ever decide to sell, I'll have to give the state first right of refusal. When I was growing up, Mom and I would spend our summers down here with Grandma and my cousins. Then Mom died and Dad would send me here to get me out of his way for the summer."

"Sounds like you weren't too unhappy to get away from the Pitts," Brian said as he climbed from the car and went to grab their bags.

"Not sorry at all," Justin admitted. He grabbed the cooler from the back and carried it up onto the porch. "I loved being here. I loved my Grandmother. This was where she was born and she loved being here. She was such an outdoorsman; think Katherine Hepburn. And she taught me so much. She taught me to cook here. She taught me how to ride here. She encouraged my artistic pursuits. She taught me to fish and swim and boat... She tried to teach me to hunt but... well, it was Bambi on the other end of the rifle and I just couldn't do it."

Brian laughed at that and shook his head. "Soft-hearted Dom."

Justin playfully stuck his tongue out at Brian. He set the cooler down and unlocked the front door. They entered the lodge and Brian was just as impressed by the interior as he had been the exterior. While it was large, it was also very cozy and warm. Justin set the cooler in the kitchen and then gave Brian a quick tour. The house could easily accommodate twenty people overnight in its eight bedrooms, two of which were set up with bunk beds. Most of the public space was taken up in the great room, but there was a game room and a media room. The place had obviously been updated since Justin's grandmother had built it in the 1980's because the decor was contemporary and the chef's grade kitchen had all new appliances. There was even a table in the great room that could easily seat twenty people.

"I renovated it right after I got the deed," Justin said when Brian asked. "I was 21 and had just given my father the ultimate fuck you. I had more money than he will ever have, and I had the one place on earth that I had ever been truly happy. It was one of the best moments of my life. I spent every break from school up here, no matter what school I was at."

Brian looked wistfully around the lodge. "Gus would love it up here."

"We'll bring him," Justin promised. "We can teach him to ride and fish and swim. We can do all the things I loved when I was a kid."

"You'll have to teach me to ride first," Brian said, trying not to let himself get his hopes up about Gus. The munchers were pretty strict about how much time Brian could spend with his son.

QaF

Brian had spent his entire life in a city: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia for school, with the occasional trip to New York or Chicago for business. He had never spent time in the country. So the next few days at the mountain retreat were a completely new experience for him. They went for hikes in the autumn sunshine. They took a boat out on the lake that was only a hundred yards from the back deck. They went down to the stables that the state park ran and Justin rented two mounts and proceeded to give Brian a lesson on riding. The mare that Brian rode was so tame that he was pretty sure that she wouldn't even swat a fly, but he was grateful for that as they explored the riding trails through the park.

And slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Justin began to increase their intimacy. Brian wanted to shout, "Fuck me already!" But he kind of understood why Justin was holding off. This wasn't about getting off. This was about building a lasting and healthy relationship. Brian was learning to be a submissive and Justin was taking him through the whole process as though he was a fifteen year old virgin with his first Dom. Because, in some very real ways, Brian really was just a scared kid inside.

But on Wednesday evening, when Brian had all but given up on either of them ever being allowed to get off, Justin ordered Brian to strip and get on his knees. Once Brian was in position, Justin opened his jeans and pulled out a surprisingly large cock for a man of his stature. Hell, it was a large cock for a man of Brian's stature.

"Suck me," Justin commanded and Brian almost wept with relief. Being allowed to do this for Justin was almost as good as getting blown himself. And as Brian began his task, he wondered why that was. But then Justin took ahold of Brian's head and began to fuck his mouth and Brian quickly got swept away by sub-space. And all he cared about when he was there was how he could please his Dom. When Justin's come flooded Brian's mouth, the taste, the smell, the feeling of being so completely used had Brian on the brink without even a single touch to his cock.

"Such a good boy," Justin murmured as he stroked his fingers through Brian's hair in the way that was already becoming familiar. "Do you want to come?"

"Please!" Brian practically sobbed. Though Justin had never said Brian couldn't masturbate, there really hadn't been any opportunity to do so since the Dom ensured that they were together every second of the day. Justin even timed their trips to the bathroom together. So it had been five very long days since Brian had any sort of release, surely a record for the Stud of Liberty Ave. "Please sir, it's been so long?"

Justin looked at Brian with a small smile. "Tell me how long?"

"Five days, sir," Brian answered, not even considering lying to his Dom.

"Tell me about the last time you got off."

Brian licked his lips and thought back to Friday. "Before I came to PIFA to see you, I went to Woody's. I wanted a drink to get my courage up. There was a man there. He was fit, about 5'11", had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He gave me the eye and I followed him into the bathroom. We exchanged hand jobs and then left."

"Did that make you feel better?" Justin asked gently. "Getting off with some stranger in the filthy bathroom of a bar in the middle of the day?"

"No," Brian admitted. "It was... disappointing. Every fucking trick since the first night I saw you was disappointing. I couldn't... It didn't ease the ache like it used to."

"Thank you for being honest with me, Brian," Justin said with a small smile. "You may stand."

When Brain was on his feet, Justin's hands were suddenly everywhere. The change in positions, however, ripped Brian from his headspace and allowed his brain to kick in. Brian—the Brian Kinney who had spent a decade as the Stud of Liberty Ave—suddenly wanted to move, to touch, to take control, to fuck Justin until he screamed with pleasure, but he fought that part down and let Justin have his way. And from the look of pleasure and pride on Justin's face, the Dom somehow knew the struggle inside of Brian. When Justin finally, finally, touched Brian's cock, it was was a reward for all of Brian's patience and honesty and most of all for his willing and intentional submission. And when Brian came, it was the sweetest release that he had ever known, one that left him too weak to stand any longer and he fell to his knees, Justin's strength supporting him.

Later, in bed with only the moon filtering through the curtains to light the room, Justin pulled Brian into his arms and kissed him sweetly. "Sometimes I think that if submission is too easy, it isn't as meaningful. Never think that I'll judge you for your struggle, Brian. I will simply be honored each and every time you choose to submit to me."

Brian took a deep breath and tried to reconcile that in his mind. "Sometimes I wish that I had never denied who I am."

"Submitting might be easier," Justin said carefully. "But you wouldn't be the man I'm coming to love. I told you that I don't like games, and that's true. But I also don't like when things come too easily."

"Well, I'm anything but easy," Brian said ruefully.

"And that is why you are perfect for me," Justin told him. "If the struggle ever gets to be too much for you, I hope you'll talk to me. I won't abide outright defiance, but I don't expect you to give up who and what you are Brian. You are a smart, driven man and I would never want to break you. I wouldn't want to see you cowering. It would be like destroying a masterpiece. But we have to find a way to balance your strength with your innate need to submit."

"That's why you brought me here," Brian realized. "To give me time to figure that out without having to deal with my friends, or my pride getting in the way."

"Yes," Justin said. "But tomorrow morning, we're going to have to face the real world for a few hours and I need you to understand where I'm coming from. For the past few days, we've spent all our time concentrating on getting to know each other and letting you get comfortable in your natural role. But tomorrow, you need to be the strong, charismatic, shark that built up one of the best advertising agencies in the country in just a few short years. I think that perhaps this first time transitioning from one to the other may be difficult. I want you to be prepared for that. I also want you to be prepared for the chance that others may try to intrude and interfere with what we've begun once you show your face back in public."

Brian nodded, his cheek pressed to Justin's bare chest. "I know."

Justin could hear the uncertainty in his voice and tightened his hold on his sub. "We'll get through tomorrow. I won't leave you to face them alone. I'll bring some work to keep me busy and wait in your office while you meet with the potential client, but I'll be there for everything else."

QaF

They had to leave before the sun was up to make it back to Pittsburgh and Kinnetik as the office was opening for the day. Cynthia greeted them with a huge smile on her face.

"Congratulations," Cynthia told Brian again. To Justin she said, "Just make sure you take care of him and make him happy. He's very important to me and he deserves to be happy."

"I'm doing my best to make that happen," Justin told her with a smile. "I'm glad he has you in his life."

That settled, the two seemed to get along like long lost friends. Justin laughed when Cynthia told them that she had sent Ted to Chicago for a few days to make sure he was out of the way when they arrived. She didn't want him or any of Brian's other friends to make things difficult for them before they were ready to face them. Brian could already tell that the two Doms would soon be ganging up on him to make sure he left work at a reasonable hour and ate. Somehow, that didn't sound as bad to him as he would have thought it would.

Justin, true to his word, sat in Brian's office with him working on lesson plans and grading while Brian read through his notes, read through the research Cynthia had done, and did a little more research on the company he was targeting. At noon, Charlotte, Brian's assistant, brought through sandwiches and drinks from a nearby deli. Justin grinned when Brian actually ate the food without protest over the fat content.

At two, Cynthia came and got Brian for the meeting. They went to the conference room just down the hall and Justin decided to go out for a quick smoke. He was just returning when he noticed Michael Novotny coming up the road. He went inside and then waited around the corner from the reception desk, out of sight. He wasn't surprised when Michael tried to barge his way into the building. He was pleased however, that Cynthia had obviously foreseen this possibility and had warned the receptionist and the guard. They stopped the dark haired man and, despite his rather loud protests, prevented him from going in search of Brian. Justin nearly laughed out loud when they threatened to call the cops if he didn't leave the premises.

Then Justin sighed. He wasn't going to be able to let this go, or else he would have the entire family hunting them down in the next few days. And Justin fully intended to get at least through the weekend before dealing with their shit. 

Justin knew from Brian that Ben Bruckner worked at Carnegie Mellon, so when he got back to Brian's office, he got on the phone with the Sociology department secretary at CMU, worked his charm, and got Ben's phone number. A few minutes later, he had the man himself on the phone.

"Professor Bruckner, my name is Justin Taylor. I'm not sure if you remember me, but we met the other day at the diner?" Justin began.

"I remember you," Ben said wryly. "You're the Dom that had Michael in such a tizzy. One who I suspect might actually be Brian's Dom?"

"I am," Justin admitted. "Though we'd both appreciate your discretion for the time being. Brian isn't ready to deal with the fallout from the family that the news would stir up."

"I understand, and please, call me Ben, " Ben said and Justin thought he probably did understand. "What can I help you with, Justin?"

"Brian and I have been out of town for the past few days, and we'll be leaving again just as soon as he's finished with his meeting," Justin told him. "But right now, we're at Kinnetik."

"Let me guess, Michael showed up there?" Ben sighed.

"Yeah," Justin said. "Brian's staff wouldn't let him interrupt because he is in a very important meeting. He was very upset, and loud about his feelings, and I'm concerned that Michael will simply wait and ambush us on the way out now that he knows Brian is here. I really don't think it's in Brian or Michael's best interests to have a confrontation right now."

Ben sighed again. "I'll make sure that Michael is otherwise occupied by the time you are ready to leave."

"Thank you," Justin said with relief.

"It's no problem," Ben replied. "I know how hard it is settling into a new soulmate bond. Brian's... issues would certainly complicate that. But he deserves to be happy and I'll do what I can to help. As much as my sub's possessiveness of Brian has always rankled, Brian is a good man."

Justin chuckled. "I'll bet that there will be more than one Dom relieved that Brian's finally taken."

"And a sub," Ben admitted in a rush. "Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud. But as much as I know that Michael is mine, and would never actually do anything to hurt me intentionally... there was always this fear that if Brian chose to snap his fingers, Michael would come running."

"It's okay, Ben," Justin told him. "I understand. And Brian's doing much better with the transition than I expected. I just don't want to deal with the family until we're on firmer ground."

"Well, I'll call Michael right now and make sure that he's out of the way," Ben promised. "When will you be returning to Pittsburgh?"

"Late Sunday night," Justin said. "I have classes and Brian can't leave Kinnetik forever. I should probably warn you that we're changing the locks at the loft, and the alarm code. I'll send out a group text from Brian's phone to let everyone know."

"Thanks for the heads up," Ben said with a rueful chuckle. "I have a feeling that this will be an interesting few weeks until the family gets used to the new Brian."

"No shit," Justin said. 

As Justin hung up the phone from Ben, he was already looking up another number. Michael wasn't the only person that Justin had issues with. He had promised Brian that he would find a way to ensure that he could spend more time with Gus, and he was going to do just that. 

"Leslie, I'm glad I caught you," Justin said when his lawyer picked up the phone. "Listen, I've got a few things to go over with you, but long story short, I've found my sub ."

"Congratulations, Justin," Leslie said with genuine warmth in her voice. She had been his lawyer since Justin had inherited his trust fund and had seen him grow into a strong and caring person over the years. "We'll need to begin processing the paperwork soon to combine assets and ensure that your will and POA are updated."

"I know," Justin said. "But that's actually not why I'm calling. Brian has a son. His friend asked him to father a child for her and her wife. Brian was reluctant at first, but fell in love with his son the day he was born. As the papers couldn’t be signed until after the birth, he refused to give up his rights. But when the girls were broken up, he gave his rights to Melanie, the wife, in order to get them back together. Since then, he has done other things for them, including pay for marriage counseling for them, and paying for their wedding. He's also paid child support, paid for Gus' educational costs, and generally anything the girls ask for as long as they preface the request with the fact that its for Gus. But they won't let him see his son. He's allowed to go over to their house to visit, but even that is limited. Once in a blue moon, they let him take Gus for the afternoon without supervision, but that is rare."

Leslie was silent on the other end of the phone for a minute. "I would need to know a little more about his history, their reasons for keeping to supervised visits, and read through the original custody agreement, but it sounds like he would have a pretty good case to get at least partial custody for his son."

So Justin began to fill Leslie in on Brian's history. He didn't sugarcoat his reckless lifestyle, but he also made sure that Leslie knew that as Justin's sub, that behavior would not continue. He also promised that he would get the financial records together and send them over to her as soon as possible. By the time he got off the phone with Leslie, Justin felt like he was in a much better position to confront the lesbians when the time came.

His final call was to a locksmith. He wanted the locks changed before they left Pittsburgh again. Since Ben would be keeping Michael busy, Justin thought they could chance a quick stop by the loft.

QaF

"I can't believe you insisted on changing the locks," Brian huffed angrily once they were back in the car and on their way to the lodge. 

"Just think of it this way, we had to have them changed before we sell the loft," Justin reasoned. "You can't have the new owner worried about half of Pittsburgh showing up on his doorstep. And I sent a text to all your friends, so they know not to use their keys."

"Using my phone," Brian pointed out. "Which you won't let me use."

Justin laughed and reached for Brian's hand, keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. "With the mood you're in, anyone would think that your meeting went poorly."

Brian snorted. "They fucking loved me. We've got a pitch scheduled in two weeks, but I can guarantee that they're going to sign a contract. Business is not the problem."

"I am?" Justin offered. He had known that Brian would likely balk at some of his decisions and was prepared to deal with the consequences.

"You fucking sicced a lawyer on Lindsay and Mel," Brian practically growled. "And while I can see the appeal when it comes to Mel, Lindsay is my friend."

"Lindsay is your friend who holds your son for ransom so that she can extort as much money from you as possible," Justin said gently. "I don't doubt that she loves you, but she's also using you. You deserve better than that. You deserve your son."

Brian huffed. He couldn't deny that he wanted Gus in his life a lot more than he was currently, and he didn't like the way the girls seemed to come to him every time there was any minor financial crisis. But if he'd wanted to sue them, he could have done that without Justin's interference.

"Think of it this way," Justin said. "Now they can hate me instead of you. Once our bonding is filed and acknowledged by the state, I'll legally have final say in how we spend our money. Not that I would ever try to actually take that over. You know how to handle finances a hell of a lot better than I do. But when the girls come looking for a handout, I can be the bad guy. I can say no. And I can be the bad guy with the custody fight, too. Brian, I know why you never pursued this yourself, you didn't want to lose your friends and wind up alone. But I'm going to make sure that you are never alone again. And I'm going to make sure that your friends don't take advantage of your insecurities. Part of my job as your Dom is to protect you, even if I have to protect you from your friends and family. Even if you resent that protection."

Brian stared out the side window throughout Justin's speech, but let his head fall back against the headrest as Justin concluded. "I... I don't resent it. Not really. It's just... what if it doesn't work? What if I piss them off so bad that they never let me see Gus again? And maybe they're right. Maybe I'm not good enough. Maybe I'm a horrible father. What if we win and then I hurt Gus?"

Justin sighed. "I've never seen you with Gus, but I can hear the way you talk about him. I know how much you love him Brian. I know that you would never do anything to hurt him. You aren't your father. You're a hundred times the man he ever was."

"I don't... know how I can believe that," Brian admitted. "They all... they tell me all the time that I'm an asshole. And I have been. I get that. But I always hoped that maybe..."

"Brian, when I talked to Ben today, he told me that you are a good man," Justin said. "Cynthia said the same thing. I don't know why your family can't see that. You may have been a little reckless and wild before, but that doesn't change the fact that you have done more for each and every one of them than they could ever deserve. You took in Ted when no one in their right mind would have trusted him. You gave him a job and a new purpose. You protected Mikey and helped him survive until he found his Dom. You've helped Melanie and Lindsay over and over again. You helped pay off Vic's hospital bills. You helped pay off Debbie's mortgage. You gave Emmett the money to start up his business and introduced him to his sub. You have fixed their problems for years but not one of them seems to be grateful for that. But I can tell you, Brian, without a single doubt in my mind that you are a good man and they are all fucking lucky to have you in their lives, even if they can't see it."

"Ted's gotten better," Brian said sheepishly. "He helped me through cancer a while back."

"Ted was forced to see you in a different light, working for you every day," Justin supposed.

"Probably," Brian agreed. "And Emmett was grateful, too. You really think..."

"I think you are a good man, and I'm proud to call you my sub," Justin told him.

They spent the rest of the trip in a more companionable silence, as Brian absorbed everything that Justin had said.

QaF

Back at the lodge, Brian fell to his knees the moment they walked through the door. Justin wasn't entirely surprised by the action. It had been a stressful day for Brian and the need to let it all go and just let Justin take care of him had to be pretty powerful. The fact that Brian felt free enough to show his need, even if he couldn't yet ask for what he needed, made Justin pretty pleased. 

Justin sent Brian to their bedroom, told him to get naked and lay face down on the bed until Justin came for him. Brian obeyed and Justin went to the kitchen. He put together a tray of finger food and a few bottles of water. Once he was finished with Brian, he knew he wouldn't want to get out of bed long enough to fix dinner. 

In the bedroom, Justin found Brian waiting for him exactly as he had asked. Justin set the tray on the dresser and then went to the bathroom for a few supplies. 

Justin stared at Brian after taking a few minutes to get Brian into the position he had been picturing for days. His boy was sprawled face down on their bed, ankles and wrists secured to the four posts of the bed. Justin had placed a folded pillow below him, raising his hips and ass just enough to give him a perfect view of the anal plug now resting in Brian's ass. There was a blindfold over Brian's eyes and a ball gag in his mouth. And Justin didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful in his life.

Carefully and quietly, Justin gathered the rest of the supplies for the session he had in mind. It had been almost a week for both of them, other than the short session the night before, and Justin really wanted to take his time and stretch this out. He also knew that while Brian had bottomed before, taking the submissive role was definitely new to the other man. So slow and steady was the name of the game tonight.

"Lift your hips," Justin told Brian and his boy did so without hesitation. Justin smiled and reached between his legs for the cock that was already hard and leaking. Justin carefully wrapped a leather cock ring around the base of Brian's penis and testicles. It didn't look like much, but that simple strap of leather would keep Brian from coming until Justin wanted him to do so. From the moan of regret that came from Brian, he knew it too.

Once the cock ring was in place, Justin straddled Brian's ass, allowing his own aching cock to rest right between those tight cheeks. But now was not the time for that. Instead, Justin opened the bottle of massage oil and began a slow, sensual massage that simultaneously relaxed and aroused. Brian let out a low groan of pleasure and shifted his hips against the pillow below him.

Justin swatted his ass and admired the red handprint he left behind. "No rutting against the pillow, Brian. If you disobey me, you won't come tonight, do you understand?"

Brian nodded frantically and stilled completely. So Justin again began his slow torture. He started with those tense shoulders and and when they were loose and plaint beneath his hands, he moved on to his arms. One by one, Justin eased each taut muscle, leaning his body over Brian's, allowing his cock to snug deeper between those perfect globes as he stretched to reach Brian's hands and fingers.

Then he backed off and moved to Brian's legs. They were lightly hairy, but strongly muscled. He started at the feet, and Justin was surprised at just how sensitive those feet were. It took a few tries to get the right pressure and not tickle. Eventually, he moved up to the ankles, and then the calves and finally the thighs. As he stroked long and hard over those muscles, he could tell that Brian was aching for Justin to touch his cock, his balls, his anus.

But Justin held off for a while longer. He skipped Brian's ass altogether and went for his back. Starting at the shoulders again, this time, he worked his way lower. Brian seemed to melt into the bed beneath him as all of the tensions of the stressful day drifted away and he was soon putty in Justin's hands.

It was only after at least an hour of this sensual massage that Justin allowed his hands to dip below the waist and caress the globes of Brian's ass. Brian groaned again, but this time he kept his body still and allowed Justin to do with him as he would. 

Only then did Justin reach for the anal plug that had been stretching and tormenting his boy. He didn't just pull it free. Instead, Justin used gentle pressure on the base to shift it subtly inside of his boy. The gentle movement caused pressure on Brian's prostate and he groaned again in response. With a smile, Justin tapped out a rhythm on the base of the plug and that groan turned into a whimper.

Carefully, Justin grasped the base of the plug and tugged a little and then allowed it to slip back inside. He pressed it deeper again and heard Brian's breath hitch around the ball gag. He pulled gently again and continued to watch and listen to his boy's reaction, learning him in new ways. Brian's sphincter muscles seemed resistant to let the toy go, but Justin was persistent. He would pull and then let the toy slip back inside. Over and over again he did this. It was fascinating to watch Brian's involuntary responses, the way his ass twitched in need each time Justin pulled on the toy.

Eventually, Justin got tired of this game and pulled the toy free. He watched as Brian's anus twitched and winked at him, as though begging to be filled once again. Begging. Just like Justin had promised he would make Brian do the first time they met.

Justin stretched his body over Brian's, pressing him into the mattress and pillow below, allowing his weight to ground Brian. Then he slowly and carefully removed the ball gag from Brian's mouth.

"Tell me what you need, Brian," Justin whispered into Brian's ear.

"Fuck me," Brian panted out. "Please sir, please fuck me. I need you inside me. Please!"

"Hush," Justin soothed him as he stroked his fingers through Brian's hair. "I'll give you what you need. You're mine now. I'll take care of you."

"Yours sir," Brian said in a haze of need and submission. It was the furthest Brian had dropped into subspace and Justin was thrilled to see it.

Justin reached for the condom he had placed strategically earlier and quickly sheathed himself, pouring more lubricant on the condom and then spreading more in Brian's ass. Someday, after they could truly trust each other completely, after they had both been deemed clean by health professionals, after they were truly committed to each other, Justin would like to do this raw. But that day was not there yet. They still had a long way to go before Brian trusted him completely.

Justin settled back on top of Brian and shifted his hips until his cock was aligned with Brian's entrance. His arm was awkward between them as he guided the head of his cock past the first ring of muscles and into that indescribable heat. He and Brian both let out moans of appreciation.

Slowly, inch by inch, Justin slipped inside his boy, allowing gravity to guide the rate of entry. And then he simply lay there. This felt absolutely perfect. He was covering his boy from fingertips to knees, he was inside him and claiming him as his own. He felt Brian shudder and knew that Brian was feeling it too, this sense of rightness, of coming home.

"Please sir," Brian finally choked out.

"Hush, boy," Justin whispered again. But he did begin to move. Just his hips, in a slow circular motion that was designed to drive them both insane. After a few minutes of this slow torture, he pulled out a little and slammed back home. Brian let out a cry of sheer pleasure, but Justin wasn't ready to increase the tempo just yet. Instead, he went back to the slow grinding motion that had Brian whining low in his throat.

For a while, Justin went back and forth between the slow grind and a few shallow but hard thrusts. It wasn't until Brian was babbling incoherently with need that Justin decided it was time to move things along. He pulled out, causing Brian to whimper and plead. But Justin was on a mission. He soon had both Brian's ankles released from their binds and had tossed the pillow to the floor. He shifted Brian's knees under him, spread wide. Now his ass was higher, and Justin grasped his hips tightly as he slammed home once again.

Brian let out a hoarse scream as Justin took his pleasure from his body. The slow gentle pace was long gone. Their new position gave Justin leverage to stroke powerfully into his body and the right angle to hit Brian's prostate on every stroke. Brian's babbling had been reduced to a series of grunts and screams as Justin wrung every ounce of pleasure from his body.

Finally, when Justin knew that he was only moments away from his own release, he reached between Brian's legs and unsnapped the cock ring.

"Come for me, Brian," Justin ordered.

And that was all it took. Brian was flung over the edge headlong and came hard all over the protective sheet that Justin had used to keep the bed clean. 

Justin felt Brian coming. The muscles in his anus spasmed and Brian's entire body stiffened as he let out a scream of pleasure that Justin was sure could be heard even through the thick cement walls between their apartment and their neighbors. That was more than enough to trigger his own release.

It took Justin a moment to come back to himself enough to see to his boy's needs. First he released Brian's arms from their restraints. That's when he noticed that Brian had literally passed out from coming so hard. Once he was sure that he was breathing okay, Justin disposed of the condom, grabbed the wipes from the bedside stand and began cleaning them both up. 

Brian was still out of it as Justin pulled the covers out from under him, removed the soiled sheet he had used to protect the duvet, and then pulled the covers back up over the two of them. He pulled Brian into his arms and stroked his fingers through his hair as he murmured, "You're so good, Brian. Such a good sub. And you're mine, now." Over and over, he repeated those words to reassure Brian and himself.

"Mmm. Like being yours, sir," Brian eventually slurred out.

"Good thing, because you're stuck with me," Justin murmured and then kissed the top of Brian's head. 

It took almost half an hour for them to come back to themselves enough for Justin to remember that dinner was waiting for them on the dresser. He got up and slowly he began the ritual of feeding himself and Brian. Brian had slowly gotten used to the fact that Justin liked to care for him in this way, and after his initial reluctance, he began to enjoy it as well. Justin hadn't fed Brian when they were at Kinnetik that day, for obvious reasons, and they had both missed the ritual. 

"I missed this today," Brian quietly admitted. 

"So did I," Justin said. "But I didn't think it was appropriate considering we were at your place of business."

"I get that," Brian said. "But I still missed it."

Justin stared at his sub for a long minute, his eyes searching for some truth in Brian's eyes. "So you wouldn't mind if I did this in front of other people?"

Brian rolled his lips between his teeth, a sure sign that Brian was uncomfortable with something he was feeling. But he finally nodded. "I mean, you're right about work. I need to keep up appearances. But... other people... I don't think I'd mind that. I think maybe this feeling would be worth any small embarrassment. Unless you would be embarrassed."

Justin gave Brian his biggest smile. "I'm so proud of you, Brian. I am honored every time you give me your submission, and I will be doubly honored to be allowed to care for you no matter who else is present."

Justin and Brian finished the food and Justin cleared the tray away before settling them both back into bed. Once the lights were off and they were wrapped up in each other, Brian told his Dom, "You are pretty fucking hot in bed, you know. I'm pretty sure that I've never passed out from coming."

Justin chuckled and kissed Brian's cheek. "Thank you for the compliment, but sex is ten times better with you than with any other sub I've taken to bed, so I'm pretty sure that it's us, not just me."

Brian hummed contentedly, already half asleep after their long day. "Probably. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

"I like being whole with you," Justin told him.

"Whole," Brian repeated, but his eyes were closed and his breathing slowing even as he spoke. "Night, sir."

"Sleep well, love," Justin murmured. "I'll be here to protect you."

QaF

The rest of the week flew by much too quickly for Justin and Brian. Now that sex was added to the mix, it was hard for either of them to think about anything else. Still, Justin insisted that they spend at least part of each day out in the fresh air. That meant another ride, a couple hikes and one particularly memorable, and wet, fuck on the banks of the lake after their boat tipped. Thankfully it was the warmest day of their stay, so they didn't freeze in the unpredictable late-March weather.

When Sunday afternoon rolled around, Brian was reluctant to leave. Justin hugged him close and kissed his neck in comfort. "We'll be back. And we'll bring Gus with us next time."

Brian nodded, but didn't say anything.

"And we'll get through anything that the family or anyone else throws at us in the next few days," Justin continued. "If they push things too far, I'll do what I have to do to protect you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Brian admitted. "I don't want to lose them."

"Brian, you deserve friends and a family who support you, the real you," Justin said. "Not people who put you down and use you and call it love. If they want you in their lives, they better prove to me that they can love you in affirming ways. And if they don't, then, you're right, you will lose them because I'm not going to let you continue to be hurt. But is it really such a loss? I promised you that I wouldn't let you be alone. There are people who already love you for who you are and you and I will surround ourselves with others who can do the same."

"I almost believe it when you say it," Brian whispered.

"You will believe it soon," Justin promised. Then he swatted Brian ass and pushed him away. "Now, quit stalling. We have a long drive ahead of us."

Brian chuckled and gave his Dom a cheeky grin. "Yes, sir.

They loaded up the car and were soon on their way back towards Pittsburgh. They talked a little bit about their schedules for the week, but mostly they talked about how they would handle the family when they came calling. It was sure to be soon. Justin rather expected that Michael would show up at Brian's office first thing Monday morning. Assuming Ben didn't let him out to bang down the loft door that night. Melanie and Lindsay might not even know that Brian had been away, since the two women rarely came around since moving to the suburbs. Brian always had to track them down when he wanted to see his son, unless they wanted some money from him. Ted and Emmett were unlikely to have called him after receiving the text about being out of touch, and weren't likely to just show up unless someone else convinced them that Brian was in trouble. Which was possible, considering what Justin knew of both Michael and Debbie. From the stories Brian had told him, Justin was sure that the two subs were more manipulative and aggressive than any other two subs Justin had ever seen.

Justin still had not given Brian his cell phone back, but he knew he would need to do so before the night was over. Brian hadn't asked for the phone, and Justin was sure that he was just as wary of hearing the messages on there as Justin was, if not more so.

They stopped at Justin's apartment on the way into town and Brian looked around the small and utilitarian space. He could see why Justin preferred to stay at the loft. Since most of Justin's possessions were in storage until he found a more permanent home, it didn't take long for the blond to pack up and check out of the short-term housing. Then it was a short drive from there to the loft.

"I spoke to my lawyer when we were in town on Thursday," Justin said as they took the elevator up to Brian's home, though Brian already knew that he had spoken to Leslie about the situation with Gus. "She's working with the realtor to put a rush on the sale of the house."

"I know an excellent decorator," Brian said. "He would probably get the house together for us quickly if I agreed to put together an ad for him."

Justin nodded. "Good. As much as I like your loft, I won't feel completely comfortable until I can get you into a space that we can claim as ours.""And I'm sure getting away from the family is a bonus," Brian said dryly.

Justin didn't reply, he just looked pointedly at the answering machine. The light was a steady red, indicating that it was completely full. Considering the fact that the digital recorder could hold two hours of messages, that was saying a lot. Brian sighed and set down his suitcase.

"Do I need to do this now?" Brian asked plaintively.

"No," Justin told him. "But it'll just weigh on your mind until you listen to them."

It was a rude awakening, thrusting both men back into the real world as Brian pressed the button and Mikey's voice flooded through the room. Brian listened to each message just long enough to get an idea whether the message was important or not. In that manner, he deleted seven messages from Mikey in a row, all bitching about the fact that Brian hadn't called him. Next was a message from Lindsay. Her simpering voice let him know that they had "somehow fallen short" with money that month and needed a "little help" paying for Gus' daycare again. Then she invited him over for dinner, telling Brian that Gus missed him.

"Bitch," Justin murmured, but Brian heard him loud and clear. He rolled his lips around his teeth and deleted the message. There were four more from Mikey, one from Debbie yelling at him for being so inconsiderate as to worry her baby. Then three messages in a row from Michael, followed by one from Cynthia. She simply said that she knew that his answering machine had probably been inundated while he was away and wanted him to hear something positive. So she reiterated her congratulations and told him how happy she was for him. 

Justin smiled. He really liked Cynthia.

The next message was from Ben and he wished Brian well and said that he would do his best to mitigate Michael's crazy. He used other words, but that was the gist of the message. It was nice to have two positive messages in a row, because the next messages were all bitching about the fact that Brian had changed the locks on the loft. There were three from Mikey, two from Debbie and two from Lindsay. The machine must have filled up at that point because the last message was from Friday morning.

"Why the fuck do they need to be in here if you aren't here?" Justin asked. It was a rhetorical question, since they both knew the answer. "It's not like you have plants to water or a cat to feed. Jesus, these people."

"I think I need a drink," Brian muttered.

"Me too," Justin agreed. 

Brian poured them each two fingers of bourbon and then they both flopped onto the sofa to relax for a few minutes.Justin eventually pulled Brian's cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to the brunet. 

Brian grimaced. "I was hoping I was done with the bitching for one night."

"Sorry," Justin soothed. "But they are your friends. I can cut them out, if you want me to, but you seem to think that you want them around."

"I do," Brian said but there was uncertainty in his voice. It was just hitting him how negative his friends were and how little he actually wanted to see them or talk to them. He loved them, but right at that moment, he didn't like any of them much. Maybe Justin was right. Maybe he needed to find more positive friends, people who wouldn't shout at him if he didn't do exactly what they wanted him to do. People who could accept him, flaws and all. He was beginning to believe Justin when he said Brian deserved better than this.

Justin pulled Brian into a gentle kiss. "Then we'll work on setting them straight."

Brian nodded. He turned on his cell phone and deleted all 32 voice messages and 79 texts without listening to them or reading them. Justin smiled at him and gave him another kiss.

QaF

Ben Bruckner must have been keeping his sub busy, because they made it through Sunday night without a visit, and Michael didn't show up at Kinnetik the next day, either. Justin worried about Brian the entire time he was at PIFA, and as soon as his office hours a were over, he headed back to Kinnetik. He could grade just as easily in Brian's office as he could at his office at school.

Brian grinned when Justin showed up. "Couldn't stand to be away from me, huh?"

"I couldn't," Justin admitted freely. 

"Well, I might have missed you too, sir," Brian admitted huskily. 

"Good," Justin said and pulled his sub into a breath-stealing kiss. Then he pushed Brian back towards his desk. "Now go work. I'm just going to do my thing over here on the sofa."

And so they worked. Brian was in and out a few times as he met with his various department heads about one project or another. Cynthia and Brian's secretary, Charlotte, came and went several times. And Ted came in once. Justin got a very brief introduction before Brian shooed the accountant back to work.

At about 6 pm, Ted returned looking grim. "Hey, Brian."

Brian set his pen down and looked up at his friend and employee. Then he glanced at Justin. Justin had also set aside his paperwork when he heard the tone in Ted's voice. "What's up Theodore?"

Ted looked very uncomfortable. "I just thought you should know that Debbie has called a family meeting."

Brian glanced at Justin again and Ted followed his eyes. But when Brian spoke, Ted turned quickly back to him. "And since I didn't get called, I'm assuming they're planning to talk about me?"

"And Justin," Ted said, looking back at Justin again and then turning to look at Brian. "There are some who think that he's somehow... I don't know... brainwashed you or something."

Brian huffed a dark laugh. "Right. When and where is this meeting?"

"Seven, at the diner," Ted said. "Debbie has to work, and since Mondays are usually slow, everyone figured that it was a good place."

"Thank you Theodore," Brian said and Justin could tell that he meant it. "You can go. And don't tell them you told me."

"You got it," Ted said with a quick nod and then left the office as quickly as possible.

"I think I make him nervous," Justin said with a chuckle.

"You're a commanding Dom who oozes strength and his is Dom MIA," Brian said with a shrug. "So, what do we do?"

"We have two options," Justin said carefully as he got up and approached Brian. He circled the desk and leaned against it, his leg brushing Brian's. "We can either pretend we don't know about the meeting and wait to see what they do. Or we can go to the meeting and get it all over with at once."

Brian looked up at his Dom and considered everything. He thought about everything that Justin had told him and showed him since their very first meeting. He thought about the things Justin had said about friendship and how his friends and family were falling short of the mark. He thought about Gus and Lindsay and Mel and all the things the bitches said about him and to him in front of his son. He thought about his parents and Debbie and how he had never wanted to see how much Debbie's words unintentionally reinforced the abusive words of his parents. And he thought about Mikey, who had never wanted to see the real him, only the mask he presented to the world.

"We should go," Brian finally said. "Get it over with. Let them know the real me and if they can accept it, great, if not, fuck 'em."

Justin leaned forward and kissed Brian's forehead. "I'll be there the whole way. No matter what happens, you won't lose me."

"I know," Brian said ruefully. "That's why I think I can actually do this."

QaF

They waited until a few minutes after 7 before leaving Kinnetik and walking to the diner. They wanted to be the last to arrive. Brian held Justin's hand the entire walk over and Justin could tell that his brave boy's courage was being tested. But he never wavered and they had soon arrived at the familiar haunt. 

Brian paused for just a moment outside the door, looking in on every important person in his life and then he looked at Justin. Justin was his Dom, his soulmate, and that outranked any friendship. And not just because fate had deemed it so. Justin had proved over the past week that he would love Brian and put his needs first like no one ever had. 

"Ready?" Justin asked.

Brian nodded and led the way into the diner.

They were all shouting at each other when they arrived. It was hard to hear one voice over another, but Brian could pick out Mikey's whining and Lindsay's waspish tones over everyone else. And then another voice broke through.

"Daddy!"

Gus had spotted his father before anyone else and rushed over to greet him. Brian swept his son into his arms and kissed his cheek. "Hey there Sonny Boy."

"Daddy, I missed you," Gus said. 

"I missed you too," Brian told him. "But I was spending time with someone very important. Gus, I want you to meet Justin. He's my soulmate."

Gus' eyes got wide. "Wow. You're pretty."

"Thank you," Justin said with a small chuckle. "I'm very happy to meet you Gus. Your daddy loves you very much and talks about you a lot. He told me how much he misses you when he can't see you."

"I love my daddy, too," Gus said. Then he leaned towards Justin a little to whisper. "But Mommy and Mama are mean to him sometimes, so he can't come over all the time."

"I know," Justin whispered back. "But I'm gonna do what I can to fix that, okay?"

"Good," Gus said. He looked at Brian and grinned. "I like your soulmate Daddy!"

By that time, everyone had noticed the late arrivals and had stopped talking, so everyone heard Gus' declaration. There was complete silence for a moment and then all hell broke loose. Everyone was shouting again, but this time, at Justin and Brian.

When Justin had enough, he whistled shrilly and shouted, "Enough!"

Everyone was startled into silence once again. 

"Thank you, Justin," Brian said before turning to his friends. "I'm sure there has been a lot of speculation over the past week. The sheer fucking volume of messages awaiting me at the loft, on my cell phone and at the office is evidence enough that some of you have gotten some bullshit ideas about what's going on. But to clear the air, this is Justin Taylor. He's my Dom, my soulmate. We went away to have time alone together while we worked some shit out. Now we're back."

"That's bullshit," Mikey stated defiantly. "You aren't a sub, Brian. I don't know what this little shit has done to make you believe something like that, but we can fix it."

Brian rolled his eyes and glanced at Justin. Justin simply nodded and allowed Brian to handle things for now. If things got out of hand, Justin would take over, and he wasn't above using the other Doms in the room to keep the delusional subs in check.

Brian held out his left wrist. "Mikey, what do you see?"

Mikey looked and frowned. "Where's your leather cuff?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "I threw it in the trash when Justin gave me my claiming cuff. The cuff on my right wrist. What do you see on my left wrist, Mikey?"

"Nothing?" Mikey said, still sounding confused.

"Right, nothing," Brian said. "I'll spell it out for you. If I was a Dom, the name of my sub would be on my left wrist. But there's nothing on my left wrist. Nothing, Mikey. I'm not a Dom. I never was. I've always been a sub. And Justin is my Dom."

"But even.. even if you..." Mikey couldn't actually say the words. "You don't believe in soulmates! You've said so a million times."

"I had a skewed perspective," Brian said with a casual shrug. "Justin helped me see things differently."

"See, I told you that this guy has done something to Brian," Mikey turned and told the others.

"More likely, Justin helped Brian see the truth," Carl muttered. He got very tired of his stepson's delusions where Brian Kinney were concerned.

"Well, whatever you are, you don't have a right to just run off and worry everyone like this, asshole," Debbie chimed in and moved to smack Brian upside the head.

Justin grabbed her arm before she could make contact and she yelped. Carl was up beside his sub in an instant. Justin released her arm and met Carl's eyes, his voice serious when he said, "Detective Horvath, you need to control your sub. If she lays a hand on my sub or verbally abuses him again, I will file charges."

"What the fuck?" Debbie demanded. "He can't do that! Tell him Carl!"

"Debbie," Carl said in a calm but steely voice. "We've talked about laying hands on the boys. I don't care if they let you get away with it. You don't do it! Mr. Taylor is perfectly correct in saying that you could be charged for assault. And maybe Brian would let you get away with it, but obviously his Dom sees things differently. So, back off."

Debbie looked crestfallen to have been reprimanded like that. Personally, Justin thought she probably needed reprimanding a little more often. But she had obviously been without a Dom for too long, and now Carl was having to break a lifetime of bad habits. Justin decided to cut the other Dom some slack and nodded to him to show his thanks.

"You can't talk to my Ma that way!" Mikey shouted, getting right into Justin's face, ignoring the fact that Justin hadn't said a word to Debbie. And he never would as long as Carl was around. It was just polite for a Dom to address the Dom if he or she was present and allow them to deal with an unruly sub. Justin simply stood there and let the man rant until Ben got close enough to pull him away. Harsh whispers followed and Justin was pretty sure that Michael would soon be getting another lecture on how a sub should act with another Dom. Justin didn't particularly like corporal punishment, but in Mikey's case, he could make an exception. How Ben put up with him was beyond Justin's ken.

Brian was whispering back and forth with Gus while all this went on and Justin thought it might just be time for him to lay a few ground rules. 

"Melanie, Ben, Emmett and Carl, I'd like to go over a few changes that will be happening in the coming days with you," Justin said, addressing the Doms in the room. Again, it was common courtesy, but courtesy was obviously not something with which this bunch was familiar.

"We are right here, too," Lindsay muttered. "We aren't second class citizens."

"No one said you were," Brian said from Justin's side. "It's polite for a Dom to address the other Doms present, so that they know that there is no threat to their subs. Just because you choose to ignore the rules of polite society doesn't mean that others are willing to do so."

"Thank you Brian," Justin told his sub with a smile. He turned back to the Doms and ignored Lindsay completely. "Now, as I was saying, there will be a few changes. First of all, our home is not a drop in center. If anyone wishes to stop by, please call first. We have changed the locks and the alarm code, so anyone without authorization attempting to enter the loft may very well be arrested if we aren't there to call off the alarm company. And no, we won't be giving out keys or the code.

"Second, we will be moving to a new house soon," Justin continued before anyone could object. "The same rules will apply to the new residence we are in the process of buying. Third, I will not tolerate anyone, and I do mean anyone, verbally abusing Brian. That includes name calling and derogatory comments about him. It's pretty obvious to me that not a single one of you really know Brian, or else you wouldn't be so surprised that he's a sub. If you knew anything about him at all, you would know that the shit you all say to and about him wounds him deeply, and it's my job to prevent him from being hurt. In other words, if you can't play nicely, I won't let Brian play at all."

"You can't stop him if he wants to see me!" Michael piped up. Ben swatted the sub's ass, but Michael had a stubborn look on his face. "He can't!"

"He doesn't have to," Brian said. "Justin has been pretty clear about what friends do and don't do to each other. Opened my eyes about some shit I've been putting up with for way too long. He's got a better perspective about how healthy relationships are supposed to be than any one of us, including Ben and Emmett. So, if he says you're out, then you're out. I won't go against his wishes."

"Thank you, Brian," Justin said.

"You're a bigger asshole than he is if you think I care about that fucker's feelings," Melanie said with disgust.

"Wow," Justin said with amusement. "And that brings us to my final topic of conversation of the evening. I will not tolerate you badmouthing my sub in front of his son."

"He's not his son," Melanie denied. "He gave his fucking rights to me."

"Without council or a Dom present, you and I both know that contract you coerced Brian into signing isn't worth the paper its printed on," Justin told her. "Whether you knew it at the time or not, Brian was a sub and the law protects his rights from Doms who would take advantage of him. We will be going before a judge to get Gus. I was only going to ask for partial custody, but its obvious to me that your negative feelings towards my sub is having a detrimental effect both on Brian and Gus. So we'll be asking for full custody."

"You can't do that!" Lindsay screamed at him.

"Watch me," Justin said, ignoring protocol momentarily. He turned back to Melanie. "Even if he wasn't a sub, the fact that you and your sub have been extorting money from him for the past five years in order to allow him to see his son would be enough to have the custody agreement annulled. Melanie, you're a lawyer; I would think you should know better."

"I've never asked Brian for money!" Mel denied hotly.

"Really?" Justin said. "Then your sub has been doing a lot of manipulating behind your back. I've reviewed Brian's financial records, as has my lawyer. Over the past five years, Brian has given Lindsay more than $250,000."

"Five years?" Mel asked, totally bewildered. "But Gus is only 4..."

"She started before he was born," Brian said quietly. "She said that the bills were more than you could afford. She said that you had to do work on the house. There was always something."

Melanie stared at Lindsay like she didn't know her own sub. "Lindsay?"

"We needed that money," Lindsay said. "And I knew your pride wouldn't let you take money from Brian, so I got it for us."

"And lied to me," Melanie said. "We were fine financially. I make enough to keep us afloat, even if it would have been tight when you chose to stay home with Gus. We didn't need a house as big as the one we got. But you said you had a trust."

"There's no trust," Brian said.

"Only the bank of Kinney," Justin told her. "But even if you didn't know about the money Melanie, you did coerce Brian into taking out a life insurance policy. Just so you know, it all ends here and now. There won't be another dime from Brian for anyone in this room. No more mortgage payments or bailouts. If your only reason to stay friends with him was get his money, well, you're out of luck."

Melanie looked too shocked to answer, but she nodded. Justin looked at Brian again and found that his sub, though he looked sad, was holding up.

"It's not my intention to deprive Brian of his friends or family," Justin said to all of them. "But I won't let him be your scapegoat or whipping boy anymore. He's not the cause of all your troubles, and he's not your personal savior either. If you would like to have a healthy and respectful relationship with him, I'm sure you will be welcome in our home. But, like I said, I won't let Brian continue to be hurt by you people. He was abused enough by his family, he doesn't need it from his supposed friends."

The gang was completely silent. Justin looked at each one in turn. He could tell that they were in a state of shock that anyone would call them on their behaviors, but Justin felt justified in his actions. He knew that without some very hard truths, none of them would ever change. And there were some people in the bunch who had the potential to be good friends if they could get their heads out of their asses. Others Justin didn't give a shot in hell of ever figuring out that what they had done was wrong.

"Ready to go, love?" Justin asked Brian gently. Brian nodded. He kissed Gus and sent him back to Melanie. Gus didn't look happy about it, but he was resigned. Justin hated the fact that Brian's son was so inured to the hurt his mothers caused that he was actually resigned to it at the age of four.

"Gus," Justin stopped the little boy. He got down on one knee to look Gus looked in the eyes. Softly, so that no one else could hear, Justin vowed, "We'll fix this. I promise you that."

Gus stared at Justin and the Dom could practically see the hope beginning to burn in his eyes. "Okay, sir. Take care of my Daddy, please?"

"I promise," Justin said and held out his hand for Gus to shake. The four-year-old took it and shook firmly with a grin on his face.

Justin stood up and took Brian's hand. They left the diner without another word.

QaF

Justin was a little surprised in the days that followed because not one of Brian's friends or family attempted to contact them. Brian told him that Ted had been recruited to send updates on Brian's behavior, but since Brian was the same as he always was at work, there wasn't much to report. For several weeks, it was complete radio silence. In that time, the sale of the house had been finalized, the decorator had gotten to work putting everything together, and Justin had scheduled movers. Brian had landed two new clients and had enjoyed quiet nights at the loft with his Dom as they continued to get to know and trust each other.

It wasn't until they were in the new house that anyone broke the silence. It was the first Saturday after the move and they were working on rearranging things that the movers had unpacked, but hadn't organized to their preferences. Brian had spent more than two hours working on their closet before moving to his office. Justin spent time in his studio, but was working on the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Brian appeared out of his office just as Justin reached the foyer. They exchanged confused glances but Justin simply shrugged and opened the door.

Emmett stood on their porch and looked completely nervous. "I know you said we should call before stopping by, but I was right here, and I... Well, I wasn't sure if you'd let any of us come by if we actually asked, after everything."

Justin sighed. "Come on in Emmett." Justin played the proper host, offering Emmett a seat and a drink while Brian looked at him impatiently, but unwilling to actually rush his Dom. Justin was mildly amused by his sub, but eventually they were all seated in their new living room. "So, what brings you by, Emmett?"

Emmett bit his lip, looking indecisive. "I'm not supposed to know this. And if anyone finds out that I'm the one who told you... Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I don't think I'm willing to be friends with anyone who would do something so..."

"Spit it out, Honeycut," Brian ordered, and Justin held back a giggle seeing the other Dom cowed by his sub.

Emmett huffed at him. "So much for being a quiet and biddable sub. Fine, I was at the diner with the girls and Michael. I went to the little boy's room, and I guess they thought I left because they started talking about the custody suit. They didn't want me or Teddy or Ben or even Carl to know what they're planning. I can see why. Ben and Carl would have put a stop to it right away. And they know Teddy would tell you. I'm not sure why they didn't tell me. Though, I guess since I'm here, I guess they would have been right not to trust me."

"They're planning something?" Justin prompted more patiently than either he or Brian were feeling. The truth was that Justin's gut was in knots.

"They said that there wouldn't be a custody hearing, because they're taking Gus to Canada," Emmett finally blurted out. "They said they have everything arranged. They'll be staying with Mel's cousin in Toronto. And Michael asked about JR. They said that he could come up to see her as long as he didn't tell you where they were. Otherwise, they would move again and he wouldn't ever see his baby again."

There was so much information and so many questions that Brian was having a hard time forming a coherent thought. They were taking his son away. "Did... did Michael seem like he knew... Was he part of this?"

Emmett looked so sad as he nodded. "He's the one that brought it up. It seems that he... he actually closed the shop one day this week and brought Jeffy, you know that guy he hired to help around the store, over to help them pack and everything. And I know that the girls haven't let you see Gus since that day at the diner, so I was pretty sure that you didn't know anything about any of this. I'm so sorry Brian."

"It's not going to happen," Justin stated firmly. He turned to Brian. "It's not going to happen."

Before Brian or Emmett could say anything, Justin was up and had his cell phone in his hand. Emmett looked at Brian for a long minute and then nodded. "You look good Brian. Happy."

Brian smiled ruefully. "Other than those bitches trying to steal my son, I am."

"He's good for you," Emmett said with approval. "I'm glad you found your soulmate. You deserve to be happy. And I'm sorry if I played a part in making you feel like you had to hide who you were, or hurt you with unkind words."

Brian shook his head. "Honeycutt, you couldn't be truly mean if you tried. You were never the problem."

"Oh, that's a relief," Emmett sighed as he flopped back in his seat. He glanced at where Justin had disappeared. "Do you think he'll be able to do anything to stop them?"

Brian smirked now. "Just wait. Those bitches are going to be sorry that they ever crossed him. Justin can be the most honest and optimistic person I've ever met. But piss him off, and you'll see just what makes him such a strong Dom."

"Shit," Emmett swore. "Between the two of you, they don't have a chance, do they?"

Brian shook his head. "Not one. Thanks for telling us, Emmett."

"It was the right thing to do," Emmett sighed heavily. "They don't have a right to keep a father and son from each other. It's not right, and it's not legal."

"They're wrong and they know it," Brian said. "Which is why they're so desperate. But we aren't going to let them get away with it."

QaF

Brian found Justin in the office, sitting behind Brian's desk and going through some papers while he listened to someone on the phone. Brian sat down across from him and Justin looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. "Okay, Leslie. I'll leave it all in your hands. But just so you know, I asked Carol Donovan to follow Gus. I don't give a fuck what anyone else does, but I want to know if they make a move to take him out of the country. And as soon as you have that injunction in place, I plan to take a copy over to Carl Horvath." He listened again and smiled. "I know. I do trust you. I don't trust those bitches. Get back to me when you've got more info, alright." A few minutes later, he hung up and smiled at Brian.

"Leslie says hi," Justin told him. "She's also got her best investigators searching for evidence that they are planning to move Gus without waiting for the hearing. She's already found applications for resident visas in Canada, which alone is enough to get an injunction."

"Who's Carol Donovan?" Brian asked.

"Former Navy SEAL," Justin said. "One of the first women to make it past the training. Now she works as a bodyguard. She's partially retired, and only takes clients when she thinks the cause is worthy. I met her back when I was just a baby gay. She came to talk to the PFLAG group I went to. Of course, my old high school was Catholic, so I couldn't join a group at school, and I didn't want my dad to know what I was up to, so I drove to Greensburg a couple times a month to attend meetings. But Carol was a speaker at one of the meetings and we talked after. She's an amazing woman and not someone I would want to piss off, even if she's in her fifties now. She'll make sure that they don't take Gus without us knowing."

Brian nodded. "As shocked as I was when Emmett told me what was going on, I never doubted that you would stop them."

Justin beamed at him. "Come here and kneel beside me." Brian frowned, confused about what Justin wanted from him, but didn't hesitate to follow his Dom's directive. Once he was in position, Justin leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Brian."

"What for?" Brian was totally bewildered now.

"For trusting me," Justin explained. "For letting me take care of this for you. I know you could have done it, but... You let me handle this for you and I'm grateful."

Brian's heart warmed as he realized that Justin was right. He did trust him. He trusted him not only with his body and heart, but with his son, too. Somehow, he had opened himself up to Justin enough that he hadn't even considered trying to fight this battle himself. He knew that if there was anything Justin couldn't handle, he would seek out Brian's help. He knew that Justin was worthy of his trust and his love.

"I love you," Brian said, surprising himself with both the words and the realization.

And Justin's smile just got brighter, bright enough to light up the room. "I love you, too, Brian. So, so much."

Brian looked at Justin and he was so happy in that moment that he couldn't quite figure out how to handle it, so he went back to a safer topic. "Do you think that this will give us a better shot when we go to the hearing?"

"Leslie said that they really didn't have much of a case to start with, hence them fleeing the country," Justin said. "But whatever credibility they did have with the courts, is gone now. Melanie will be lucky if she doesn't get disbarred for this. Assuming Leslie comes through and can prove that they were going to willingly break a court order and flee."

"So, everything will be okay," Brian said more to himself than Justin.

Justin pulled Brian up and into his lap and them hugged him close. "I'll make sure of it."

Brian nodded and leaned down for a kiss. When they broke apart, he was smiling. "Maybe we should start thinking of how to decorate Gus' bedroom."

"We definitely should," Justin agreed.

QaF

That night, for the first time, Justin led Brian into the newly equipped playroom, previously the nursery. It was the first time that he felt that Brian really trusted him enough to let himself go totally. And as he shackled Brian into the suspension swing, arms and legs bound to the four support chains and his body completely at Justin's mercy, Brian found a new level of subspace that he had never before reached. Every touch from Justin's hand or one of the many toys--nipple clamps, dildos, and a flogger--Justin used on him simply served to heighten his knowledge that he belonged to Justin completely and utterly. 

And when the session was over, Brian didn't care that he hadn't come or that his body was covered in marks. All he cared about was that he had pleased his Dom. Justin cleaned him up and cuddled him and cherished him in a way that Brian had never thought anyone would. He felt loved in a way that surpassed anything he had ever felt before and that feeling lasted long after the night ended. Brian wasn't sure that it would ever go away and he was glad of that.

All the years of self-doubt and the feelings of inadequacy had fallen away for good as he realized that he was special and important because he was Justin's sub. Justin loved him and told him how wonderful he was, even if he wasn't exactly like every other sub out there. He could love and be loved. Deep down where his darkest secrets resided, he finally believed that he was allowed to be happy and to be loved. Because Justin loved him. 

QaF

The breakthrough in their relationship not withstanding, things were tense for the next week. Justin was busy with finals week, Brian was busy with a new client, and they were in almost constant contact with Leslie and Carol about making sure that Gus was kept safely in the country.

So when Justin got the call from Carol telling them that the girls were making their move just days before Easter, They waited with bated breaths. They had agreed, reluctantly on Brian's part, to allow the authorities to handle the situation. Leslie insisted that it would be better when they finally went before a judge for them to stay out of it, and Justin insisted that between Carol and the Pittsburgh PD, Gus wouldn't be going anywhere. Brian trusted Justin, but it still made for a tense few hours as they waited for word.

When the call finally came, it was Carl Horvath. "Gus is officially in the custody of Family Services, and the girls have been arrested for breaking a court order. The social worker has let me keep him with me, so he has a familiar face until you get here to pick him up."

"Thank you," Brian breathed out with relief. "We'll be there as soon as possible."

The drive to the precinct seemed to take forever, as did all the paperwork they had to fill out before the social worker would release Gus into their care. By the time they were allowed to get him, it was after midnight and Gus had long ago fallen asleep on a sofa in Carl's office.

Brian couldn't stop himself from rushing to his side and taking his boy into his arms. Gus woke up and blinked sleepily at his father. "Daddy?"

"I'm here, Sonny Boy," Brian told him. "I've got you and I'm never letting you go."

"Good. Can we go home now?" Gus asked but he was asleep in Brian's arms before he could answer.

Brian and Justin looked to the social worker who had followed them into the office. "Everything is in order. The Judge in your custody case will be notified of the events of today first thing in the morning. I would expect that he will likely move up the hearing date."

"Thank you," Justin told her and then shepherded Brian and Gus from the room. 

The trip home was a lot less tense, but no less quiet. Gus slept peacefully in the booster seat that Justin had installed. They had spent some time getting everything ready for Gus to be a part of their lives, and Justin had been almost obsessive about ensuring that Gus would be safe. He'd ordered a motion alarm installed on the pool, which Brian could understand, but he'd also spent a small fortune on special rubberized paving for around the pool and around all of the play structures they had installed in the back yard. Brian figured that it was his Dom instinct to protect those under his care. Not that Brian wasn't protective of Gus, but he also remembered being a kid and knowing that scrapes and bruises were part of life and learning boundaries. 

When they arrived at the house, they carried Gus to the room they had designated as his and helped him into his pajamas. Gus' room was perfect for a three year old boy. It had all the things that Gus loved. Each wall featured a mural that Justin had painted especially for Gus. They depicted different eras in time and reflected the things Gus was into. There was the wall with the dinosaurs, then the wall with Old Western scenes. The third wall was present day and had Superman flying over the city. The last wall was futuristic, and had flying cars and other things that Brian knew came from The Jetsons, Back to the Future and even Disney World's Future World. And for each wall, there were toys and books that went along with the theme.

Once Gus was settled back to sleep, having barely woken in the first place, Brian sat down beside Gus' bed and Justin sat beside him. He stroked his fingers through Brian's hair and waited for him to speak.

"I don't want to leave him alone," Brian whispered. "I don't want him to wake up in a strange room and wonder."

"I get it," Justin said. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be back, okay?"

Brian frowned. "You don't have to stay, Sir."

"I know," Justin said with a smile. "I want to be with you and Gus. We’re a family now, and I want to be here for both of you. Okay?"

Brian nodded and accepted the kiss from his Dom. Then Justin rose from the floor and left the room. A few minutes later, he returned with blankets pillows and an air mattress that had already been inflated. He watched as Justin set up a bed for them and then motioned for Brian to join him. They stripped down to their underwear and climbed into the bed and curled up together. Brian watched Gus sleep, held firmly in Justin's arms, until he fell asleep.

QaF

Gus loved the new house. He especially loved his room and the pool, and the family room filled with toys just for him. For the first couple days, it was kind of like Gus was on vacation. His Daddy and Justin stayed home form work with him, and Gus didn't have to go to preschool. And it was a lot of fun for the little boy.

But after a few days, Gus began to wonder about his Mommy and Mama. And so he asked the question both Brian and Justin dreaded. "Where are Mommy and Mama?"

The three were sitting at the dinner table, having just finished eating supper. Brian and Justin shared a look, and Brian sighed. It was his son and his responsibility, even though he knew that Justin would take it on if Brian asked.

"Well, Sonny Boy," Brian began. He had to stop and consider his words, but eventually he continued. "Your moms were very bad."

"'Cause they tried to take me away from you?" Gus asked. "That's what the policeman said."

"Yeah," Brian agreed, glad that Gus had some understanding of what was going on, even if it was limited. "They weren't supposed to take you away. Me and Justin went to the Judge to ask if we could keep you instead. But we had to wait for a while before she could meet with us and your moms. But in the meantime, your moms weren't supposed to take you anywhere. They broke the rules, and so they got into big trouble."

"So they can't come see me?" Gus asked.

"Not right now," Brian said.

"Do you want to see them?" Justin asked. 

Gus shrugged. "I don’t know. They weren't ever nice to Daddy. And they said really bad things about you, too."

Justin looked at Brian to gauge his reaction. They could both tell that there was more that Gus wasn't saying. "And were they mean to you sometimes?"

Gus shrugged again, but kept his eyes on his plate, just playing with the food left there. "Sometimes Mommy would yell real loud. And sometimes Mama said I was just like Daddy and she didn't mean it in a nice way. And..." Here Gus got really quiet and Justin had to lean close to hear him. "And sometimes she hit me. But only if I did something that was like Daddy."

Justin looked at Brian again and could tell that his sub was taking this hard, but he was keeping it together for Gus's sake. "Gus, you know it's never okay to hit someone. Mama was wrong to hit you. And she was wrong to be mean to you. Daddy and I are going to make sure that never happens again. But even if she and Mommy were sometimes mean or shouty doesn't necessarily mean that you don't love them anymore. Do you want to see them?"

"Someday," Gus said after really thinking about it. "Not right now."

"Okay," Justin said. "Then that's what will happen. For now, no visits with the moms. But if you change your mind, you let me or Daddy know and we'll work it out so that you can see them, but still be safe from hurtful words or hits. Okay?"

Gus nodded and then smiled. "Okay. Thank's Justin."

Gus rushed off to finish building a Lego castle in the playroom and Brian and Justin were left to deal with the emotions that brief conversation had left.

"I want to kill them both right now," Brian admitted with a growl. 

Justin nodded. "Me too. But Gus does still love them. We have to walk a very fine line here, Brian."

"I know," Brian said as he deflated. "I just... I never would have let them have full custody if I had known..."

Justin came around the table and pulled Brian into his arms. "You couldn't know. But now we do, and we can make sure that it never happens again. We hold all the cards, Brian. We can make sure that whatever contact there is in the future is on our terms."

"We can keep him safe," Brian sighed and tucked his body around his Dom. It was crazy how a man so much smaller than him could make him feel safe.

"We will keep him safe," Justin promised.

QaF

The judge did, in fact, move the hearing up, so only a week after Gus's dinner revelation, they were going in front of the court. Gus had been interviewed by the same social worker who had been with him the night of the arrest. And he had been interviewed again by the judge before the hearing.

When Brian and Justin entered the courtroom, they weren't surprised to see Lindsay and Melanie there. The two had been released on bail until their hearing in two weeks. Brian was surprised that neither of the women would even look in his direction. Either they felt guilty, or their lawyer had convinced them to let him do all the talking. Brian shrugged; either way, it didn't matter. They wouldn't get his son.

"All Rise," the bailiff called out and soon the Judge was walking in and taking over. Unlike criminal court, where the lawyers directed the questions, here, the judge was in complete control and the lawyers simply followed her lead. She spent some time going over Justin's past, but it was mostly clean. Then she went over Brian's history and it was a little harder not to get discouraged when she asked him about his history of drug use and indiscriminate sex.

"Your honor," Brian finally said. "I know that my past doesn't look good. But you have to understand. I grew up in an abusive home, where I believed my parents were soulmates. As I got older, I had no respect for soulmates or traditional roles, because in my mind, it was all just bullshit. I drank too much and used drugs and had sex with whoever I wanted to convince myself that I was happy with my life. I hid who I was so that no one could have control over me and hurt me the way my parents had hurt each other.

"And then I met Justin," Brian continued. "And he made me reevaluate every idea I had about sex roles, and soulmates, and love. I found out my parents were never soulmates and that the ideas that I'd based my life on were wrong. I realized that love isn't bullshit. And he helped me embrace my natural submissive side. Since then, I have no need for drugs or sex with random strangers. I don't even drink more than a single glass of wine with dinner. I have new priorities, and Justin and Gus are at the top of the list."

"Thank you Mr. Kinney," Judge Holland said with a small smile. "It's refreshing to hear such honesty. Can you explain how and why we're here today?"

"Actually, that's all Justin," Brian said. "At least it was at first. I have since come to see that he was right to push the matter."

"Mr. Taylor?" Judge Holland prompted. 

"Your honor," Justin nodded. "After spending time getting to know my sub and hearing about his past as well as his present circumstances, it became clear to me that Melanie Marcus and Lindsay Peterson had been taking advantage of my sub for a very long time. You have the financial records, but it wasn't just the money. They took his money, but wouldn't let him see Gus. They badmouthed him, often in front of Gus. They would only allow Brian to see Gus rarely, and almost never gave him unsupervised visitation. Granted, his lifestyle wasn't ideal at the time, but he had never done anything to make anyone believe that he couldn't be trusted to take care of his son. 

"Brian was and is a responsible person," Justin continued. "He owns his own advertising agency and, according to About Pittsburgh, is one of the most successful people under forty in the region. He wouldn't have gotten where he is today if he didn't understand boundaries. Even when he was using and tricking, he never did so around his work. Why would anyone ever think that he would do so around his child, who is much more important to him?"

"I object," the moms' lawyer spoke up. "He's speaking for his sub."

"Sustained," the Judge huffed. "So Brian, is what Justin said true?"

"I never used drugs at work or even went into work until I was sober," Brian said. "The one time I broke the rule about sex at work, I lost my job because I wouldn't let the guy use me to climb the ladder. He came onto me and I was dumb enough to go with it. When he came back with demands that I support him for a promotion, despite the fact that his work wasn't up to par, I refused to play his game. In the subsequent lawsuit, there wasn't enough proof on either side to do more than settle. But I was let go from my contract. I subsequently opened my own agency and have never made the same mistake again."

"Thank you," Judge Holland said. "Justin, your original motion was for shared custody. What made you change your mind and ask for full custody?"

"The first time I met Melanie Marcus and Lindsay Peterson, they showed nothing but contempt for me and for Brian," Justin explained. "And the entire incident happened in front of Gus. It became obvious from what they said and from what Gus said at the time that this was not a one time occurrence. I don't know about what they believe, but I don't believe that it is good for a child to hear negative things about their parents, especially from their other parents."

"Like you haven't filled Gus's mind with poison against us," Melanie practically snarled at them.

"Actually, Ms. Marcus," Judge Holland corrected with a scowl, "I have had a rather in depth conversation with Gus about that very subject and he was quite clear that Justin and his Daddy never say anything bad about you or Ms. Peterson. Now, I would ask you to keep your incorrect opinions to yourself until it's your turn to speak. Otherwise I will find you in contempt of court."

After that, they went over the details of how they discovered that the girls were planning to take Gus out of the country, what actions they took to prevent that from happening, and the events of the night Gus came to live with them.

When that was over, the Judge turned and started over with the girls. There was a lot of anger and resentment in their tones, despite being polite on the surface. Brian and Justin didn't listen too closely to their convoluted reasons and excuses. Instead, Justin concentrated on comforting Brian with soothing strokes to the back of his neck, and Brian just let the feeling of comfort wash over him.

They didn't really tune back in until Judge Holland asked, "And have you ever hit Gus?"

"No, of course not," Melanie huffed.

"According to Gus, you have," Judge Holland told her. 

Melanie rolled her eyes. "I might have given him a love tap when he was getting out of hand, once or twice."

"A love tap," Judge Holland said. "According to his preschool teacher, she had questioned Ms. Peterson on multiple occasions regarding injuries. Three times regarding hand-print shaped bruising on the face, twice regarding bruising along the collarbone consistent with shaking. Would you like to revise you answer, Ms. Marcus?"

"I didn't hit him that hard," Melanie insisted. "And I never shook him. That was Lindsay."

"What?" Lindsay demanded. "I would never!"

The hearing went downhill from there. The girls started pointing fingers at each other and sabotaging their own case. It wasn't really a surprise when the ruling was given.

"Full custody is granted to the petitioners," Judge Holland stated. "There will be no visitation rights at this time. The courts will reconsider after two years. If at that time, either Lindsay Peterson or Melanie Marcus can prove that they have showed significant change in behavior and attitude, we will consider supervised monthly visitation until Gus turns ten years old, at which time he will be given the right to decide for himself whether or not he wants to visit with his mothers."

Brian found himself in Justin's arms when the judge banged the gavel and it all became official. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," Justin said.

Epilogue

Gus was ecstatic that he was officially living with Brian and Justin for good. The three of them settled into life surprisingly easily. Justin wasn't teaching any summer classes, so he and Gus spent almost the entire summer hanging out together. Justin took him to museums and parks and other fun places while Brian worked. At least two days a week, Justin would get inspired to paint and so would bring Gus out to the studio and Justin would teach Gus about art and colors and let him make a mess with finger paints and tempera while Justin painted what Gus and Brian both deemed masterpieces. And then the three of them spent a lot of evenings and weekends around the pool. 

Brian's favorite part of the summer, however, were the two weeks they spent at the lodge in West Virginia. Just like Justin promised, they taught Gus all the things that Justin's grandmother taught him and it was a wonderful and relaxing time for all three of them. 

Nine months after meeting Justin, Brian thought that his life was better than he could have ever imagined it being. The only shadow on his otherwise idyllic life were the absence of Michael and Debbie. Brian had been disappointed when they hadn't called or tried to see him after the confrontation in the diner. But Justin had helped him through that time.

Later, after the court hearing and after the girls were sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service apiece, Justin met with Carl and Ben for lunch without telling Brian about it beforehand. At that lunch, he discovered that both Doms had laid down the law with their subs. Neither Debbie nor Michael were allowed to contact them until they could honestly say that they could abide by Justin's rules. While it was difficult for Brian in the meantime, both Doms reported that there had been some progress made.

When Gus's fourth birthday rolled around in October, Justin checked with the Doms again and the three felt like it was a good time to test the waters with their subs.

Almost immediately Debbie went to Brian and pulled him into a tearful hug. "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay, Ma," Brian told her as he hugged her tightly. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

Michael seemed to be doing well until Justin gave Brian a simple command. At that point, he threw a tantrum and Ben had to drag him away from the party.

All hope wasn't lost, however; it just took more time. Ben kept working with his sub, and they even began seeking professional counseling, until Michael could accept Brian for who he was. He never did quite forgive Justin for taking Brian away—the Brian in his head, even if that Brian wasn't real—but they could both be polite for Brian's sake.

Ted's Dom finally came back around: clean, sober, and counseling other addicts. 

When the girls finished their community service, they decided to go to Canada. Once there, Lindsay found her soulmate and ended up leaving Melanie for him. Melanie, who had been disbarred for her criminal activities, opened a bar and spent the rest of her life waiting for her soulmate to come along. Neither of them ever came back to Pittsburgh and neither tried to get visitation rights for Gus. It was just as well, because Gus wasn't interested in seeing them, anyway. 

Gus grew up into a Dom. He had his Daddy's looks and build and Justin's patience and heart and he turned into one of the most sought after Doms in the city until he found his sub: a sweet young man that the whole family adored. But that is another story for another day.

Brian and Justin had a few ups and downs, but overall, they were happy together. Happier than Brian ever expected to be. Happier than Justin could have hoped to be. Because soulmates weren't bullshit, and Brian learned that in the best way possible.


End file.
